"Hey Chris Bosh you wanna put the squeeze on Miami? Let's throw the idea that you may consider them out there to the media. Plus, they are helping us, they are sending a range rover full of small red midgets to creep-creep up on your setup here...... It won't even look obvious on our part, it will just look like you may actually go there......" "Hey Melo, I have a plan we can put it out there that you would rather play in Houston than New York to put the squeeze on the Knicks now.... They won't even allow Houston to sniff you, they will trade for you right away and you won't have to sit a whole year in Denver. "Ok Carmelo, now I got it..... Now we got the Nets and we got the Knicks and they both want you. But it is too easy if they are only competing against each other. We need a few other teams in the mix to really drive the Knicks offer up. Still, its almost Christmas, you sure you just don't wanna leg out the year in Denver?" " Well Carmelo, the Russian has walked away. We gotta get you to New York soon or I really suggest just waiting this out till next year... I know you want the current CBA dime, but The Knicks just aren't willing enough to give The Nuggets exactly what they want. Just wait here for the offseaon and get a S&T to NY, unless, we want to pressure NY now by putting some different Houston propaganda out there now. All we need is a semi-credible sportshead to say that Melo signing an extension with Houston is semi-likely. The terms used can be ambiguous, just plant the idea inception style in Donnie Walshs dome." The NBA, where being leveraged happens.
The truth is that in August there was an article, I believe by Wojornowski that said "Sources say Melo would rather play in Houston than NY". That is just us being used and we are still being used.