Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

It always seemed crystal clear that this day would come so it seems worth noting that it finally has. The Denver Nuggets are finally coming to grips with the fact that it doesn’t look like Carmelo Anthony is going to sign their three-year contract extension. CBSSports.com reports that the Nuggets have “all but decided” to trade Anthony if he won’t sign the offer before the trading deadline.

If Carmelo’s situation wasn’t hanging over the team’s collective head, things would be outrageously sweet in Denver with coach George Karl’s return from cancer treatment and the Nuggets’ 13-8 record.

“According to people with knowledge of the team’s strategy, if Anthony doesn’t agree to sign the three-year, $65 million extension by the Feb. 24 trade deadline, the wheels are all but certain to be put in motion to part ways with the three-time All-Star,” the site reports.

And now that GM Masai Uriji has been in the job for a few months, CBS reports, the team has a much better idea of what it would be looking for in a trade than it did this past summer when initial Carmelo Anthony trade rumors got underway.

By Mark J. Miller