There seems to be a strong chance that the Jan. 21 Lakers-Nuggets game was the end of the two team’s mini-rivalry, which was highlighted by their matchup in the 2009 Western Conference finals. The Lakers-Nuggets rivalry will turn into an even more lopsided one without one of the best players in the game in Anthony.
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Of course, if the Lakers were to make the rumored mega deal for Melo the rivalry would be intensified for a brief time, especially when Melo makes his first return to Denver to a course of boos. The rivalry would be lopsided however (think Cleveland-Miami). Whether the Lakers should pull the trigger on the swap is an entirely different debate and seems to be a long shot at this point. But the fact remains that this has the potential to add another chapter to this rivalry.
Whether it be to the Lakers or another team, the Nuggets will likely move Anthony in fear of being the victim of having their star leave for nothing in return (case in point Cleveland). This is probably their only possible move, considering Anthony seems destined to become a Knick at some point. Perhaps this could have been avoided though this summer. Rather than panicking, the Nuggets should have taken a page from the Lakers’ book and attempt to build a championship team around their star in order to appease him.
While Lakers’ fans definitely won’t have much sympathy for Nuggets’ fans, we actually understand what they are going through while they serenade Anthony with the boo birds. Fortunately for the Lakers, everything fell into place, and Kobe is going to be a Laker for life and will likely go down in history as the greatest Laker of all time.
