As a die hard Laker fan its tough to hear rumors about one of the top 5 talents in the league potentially being involved in a trade to your team. On the one hand you get all happy and excited about the possibility, but on the other hand you get all sad and depressed as you convince yourself that the rumored deal has no chance of happening. The Carmelo to LA rumors are no exception as they cause both the happy/excited feelings and the sad/depressed ones.

Fact: Carmelo Anthony is a top 5 young star in the league.
Fact: Carmelo Anthony would be the best possible situation for Laker fans as he could team up with Kobe for the next two years while Kobe gracefully caps off his career (I think Kobe should retire in 2-3 seasons and go out on top), and then could be the leader of a new squad that would still be competitive and not suffer a decade of futility (a la post-Magic when the most exciting thing the Lakers had was Sedale Threat, Cedric Ceballos and Terry Teagle.
Fact: Carmelo Anthony to the Lakers would male them once again clear title favorites (forget all this talk about losing Bynum would make the Lakers too small to battle the likes of the Celtics in the post-season, Bynum is a difference maker due to size, but Carmelo is a difference maker period!)
Fact:  The Lakers are likely not going to get Carmelo without giving up something more than Bynum.  It will likely take a package that includes Shannon Brown (the only other young player with any trade value), Devin Ebanks (a guy who will be a solid pro) and Derrick Caracter (a young big who will have a serviceable career).

Fiction:The rumors about the Lakers getting Carmelo Anthony are real. While it was fun to go through the “Facts” and pontificate a Carmelo to LA love story, Carmelo wants to play for the Knicks and a package that nets Denver Wilson Chandler and Landry Fields (plus an unload by Denver of bad contracts) is a better deal than the Lakers can offer. While its fun to talk about, we should quickly put this distraction to rest and focus on regaining the championship form that they will need to get through a tough upcoming postseason.