HoopsHype.com Rumors

Chris Mannix: A source said new Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke has been seriously sweating this deal the last few weeks. Nervous about getting right package. Twitter

Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Kroenke 

Adrian Wojnarowski: Talks stopped over Christmas with tragic death of 'Melo's sister, but will resume next week. Josh Kroenke and Masai Ujiri are digging in. Twitter

Denver Nuggets, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Masai Ujiri, Josh Kroenke 

Nuggets president Josh Kroenke and Ujiri haven’t spoken in two weeks with Anthony about the approval process on a trade, a source said, but they’ve proceeded with an understanding that fattening a package for the Nets will go a long way toward getting him to sign an extension. When the times comes, the Nets are planning to have owner Mikhail Prokhorov personally sell Anthony on the Nets’ future in Brooklyn beyond 2012. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Trade, Mikhail Prokhorov, Josh Kroenke 

Sources told CBSSports.com last week that Nuggets management has all but decided to trade Anthony if he does not signal his intentions to re-sign with them before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. With the information now public that Anthony will only accept a trade to the Knicks, the situation now appears poised to enter a final critical stage that will test the Nuggets' new management regime of GM Masai Ujiri and executive Josh Kroenke. CBSSports.com

Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Masai Ujiri, Josh Kroenke 

Sources close to the situation maintain that Nuggets president Josh Kroenke and new personnel chief Masai Ujiri won't even consider the prospect of moving Melo before Dec. 15, when players who signed new contracts in the summer become eligible to be added to trades for the first time. And word is even mid-December is a lot sooner than the Nuggets are prepared to move, with team officials clinging to the hope -- remote as it sounds -- that they'll start looking like more of a hard-to-bolt contender around that time once big men Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen have returned from their respective knee injuries. ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Masai Ujiri, Josh Kroenke 

As recently as last season, Kerr ran the Phoenix Suns' front office. He was asked about Denver's front office and the release of Bret Bearup, a longtime adviser, by Nuggets executives Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke. "Bearup's departure is not surprising with all the turnover," Kerr said. "Denver had too many cooks in the kitchen the past few years. Now they're streamlining and moving on to (the) Josh/Masai combo." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Steve Kerr, Masai Ujiri, Josh Kroenke, Bret Bearup 

Sources say the Nuggets' revamped front office -- with Ujiri replacing 2009 Executive of the Year Mark Warkentien, and the owner's son, Josh Kroenke, assuming a bigger role -- struggled with the complicated mechanics of putting together an Anthony trade when talks heated up in September. Four-team talks that would've sent Anthony to New Jersey fizzled, in large part because Denver couldn't achieve enough savings within the framework of the proposal. (In fact, the trade involving Charlotte and Utah would've cost the Nuggets more than $10 million this season when accounting for the luxury tax, an absolute deal breaker.) CBSSports.com

Denver Nuggets, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Masai Ujiri, Josh Kroenke 

The chaos within the Nuggets organization has contributed to the delay. A league source indicated Denver's new general manager, Masai Ujiri, is merely a messenger to the team's real decision-makers: owner Stan Kroenke; his son, Josh; and Bret Bearup, an adviser to the elder Kroenke. New York Daily News

Denver Nuggets, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Stan Kroenke, Masai Ujiri, Josh Kroenke 

But when I asked Kroenke out on 52nd Street if he could say definitively whether Anthony would be traded, he did what his Rams will be doing a lot of this season. He punted. "Oh, I don't know," Kroenke said. "I'm kind of ... that's going to be Josh's decision. He can handle it." So there you have it. CBSSports.com

Denver Nuggets, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Kroenke 

While Nuggets officials – including influential adviser Bret Bearup and executive Josh Kroenke – continue to rebuff trade inquiries while hoping to repair the franchise’s relationship with Anthony, privately the team is beginning to examine which teams would have the most attractive combination of young players, draft picks and expiring contracts to complete a deal. CBSSports.com

Denver Nuggets, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Kroenke 

Kroenke took aim at a recent column on Yahoo.com that cited sources who detailed a deteriorating relationship between team executives and Anthony's representation, headed by agent Leon Rose. "Anything that has been said is either someone trying to manipulate the situation behind the scenes or other motives that are unknown at this point," Kroenke said. "But Melo and his representation have been great to us. "I think he knows he can come to me as an individual. We have that amount of respect that we can talk about things openly in a noncombative way. So anything that has been stated from sources behind sources . . . All of our talks have been extremely cordial. I haven't had a negative conversation with Carmelo Anthony since I've known him, and that goes back to my time as a college basketball player. I don't have a bad word to say about Melo as a person." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Free Agency, Trade, Carmelo Anthony, Leon Rose, Masai Ujiri, Josh Kroenke 

Asked if what happened to Cleveland and LeBron James is in the back of the Nuggets' mind, Kroenke said: "That's a fair question. We want Melo in Denver, and I think that Melo has enjoyed his time in Denver, but we all have tough decisions to make, and I'm from the perception that we have to protect the best interest of the franchise. The message I want to get out to the fans is — we're going to do what's best for the city of Denver and the Denver Nuggets." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Kroenke 

Well, now he will deal with that spotlight too. The 30-year-old son of Stan Kroenke, the Nuggets and Avalanche owner, is now in line to take over for his dad. "Bottom line — it's exciting," Josh Kroenke said Wednesday. "Anytime you get a fresh face around, people are half-scared and half-excited about what you're going to do, and hopefully I can keep the excited portion going more than the scared portion." On Wednesday, Stan Kroenke officially became the majority owner of the NFL's St. Louis Rams, but because of the league's cross-ownership policy, his son — who spent the past three years in the Nuggets' front office — will gain management control over personnel and financial decisions of the NBA and NHL franchises. "There's not a whole lot that needs to be done on the organizational side with the Avs and Nuggets," Kroenke said. "I want to make it a fun working environment." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Stan Kroenke, Josh Kroenke 

"I've got a lot of experience working in finance and in sports, as well. Now they're merging," he said. "My dad and grandfather have taught me a lot about building a respected business, and their traits I'd most want to bring are hard work, diligence and making sound decisions based on information." Kroenke will continue to work primarily in the Nuggets' front office, but will have to spend more time than ever before on the Avalanche's business side. "The Avalanche has a great young foundation and a great leadership structure with Pierre Lacroix and Greg Sherman," Kroenke said. "I think the Avs are poised for continued success down the road. And the Nuggets, it was a tough season on a lot of levels. But by no means are we expecting to make significant regressions in the near future. We want to build a model that stays competitive year after year." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Stan Kroenke, Josh Kroenke 

Denver Nuggets executive Josh Kroenke met with Carmelo Anthony in Baltimore over the weekend and restarted the process of selling the disgruntled star on signing a contract extension, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. No resolutions were reached, sources said, but Kroenke, the owner’s son, has undoubtedly emerged as a far more powerful voice in the franchise. His burden is unmistakable now: As a 30-year-old on the cusp of taking over majority ownership of the Nuggets, he must sell the All-Star forward on staying the course with the Nuggets. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Kroenke 

The Nuggets are close to hiring a new general manager – with former Phoenix Suns executive David Griffin the frontrunner – but Kroenke and adviser Bret Bearup will have the most significant say in basketball matters. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, David Griffin, Josh Kroenke 

The departure of vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien has elevated Kroenke to a more prominent role in the Nuggets organization – one that likely will eventually include majority ownership. Well before the Nuggets didn’t renew Warkentien’s contract this summer, sources said Kroenke made a springtime tour to meet several of the most prominent West Coast player agents. The agents were told they would soon be dealing more directly with Kroenke on Nuggets personnel matters. Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Mark Warkentien, Josh Kroenke 

The Nuggets considered Griffin, Ujiri, Atlanta assistant general manager Dave Pendergraft and former Sacramento assistant general manager Jason Levien for the position. Griffin has close ties to Nuggets advisor Bret Bearup, the last of three influential personnel voices to remain after executives Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman were let go earlier this month. Ujiri, meanwhile, is well-respected by both owner Stan Kroenke and his Nuggets executive son. Josh Kroenke, the 30-year-old vice president of team development, is widely assumed to be in line to one day take over for his father as owner and has seen his role increase of late. FanHouse.com

Denver Nuggets, Mark Warkentien, Jason Levien, Dave Pendergraft, Josh Kroenke 

Andrews said the two official designated NBA negotiators (for trades and such) had been Warkentien and Josh Kroenke, vice president of team development and son of owner Stan Kroenke. Chapman did not have that designation. With Warkentien gone, Andrews said he for now takes over the second spot as a designated NBA negotiator. For Nuggets basketball decisions, Andrews said that for now will be handled by the team of Josh Kroenke, coach George Karl and Bret Bearup, a Nuggets advisor who carries much clout with Stan Kroenke. FanHouse.com

Denver Nuggets, Paul Andrews, Josh Kroenke