The rumors seems to be flying around nonstop at this point in terms of the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes with the Los Angeles Lakers at the center of it all.
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It was reported on Saturday that the Lakers were very much in contention to sign Carmelo. Now it appears that it may be down to two teams with the Knicks and Lakers neck-and-neck with ESPN’s Marc Stein reporting that there’s a rising sense New York and Los Angeles are the most likely destinations.
On Sunday, another interesting rumor started floating with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Love, and Carmelo all playing a pickup game at UCLA, according to Marcus Bass of HoopsHabit.com:
#Lakers Kobe Bryant spotted in pick up game with Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love at UCLA. Kobe looking like he bought new legs.
— Marcus Bass (@TheBasslineNBA) July 6, 2014
UCLA Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations, Josh Rebholz, confirmed that Kobe, Carmelo, and Love were at UCLA today:
Yes, and Kevin Love too. RT @MrRamirezToYou: Was kobe and melo there today? @JoshRebholz
— Josh Rebholz (@JoshRebholz) July 6, 2014
Love was the one player everyone was talking about a few weeks ago with the consensus being that he’d be traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the near future. The Lakers were linked to Love numerous times over the last few years and some believe it might be a matter of time before he’ll be wearing purple and gold.
As for Kobe, the superstar hasn’t been seen playing competitively since he went down with a knee injury back in December. The five-time NBA champion has let it be known that he’s 100 percent and ready to get back to work, but the speculation is ongoing as to whether he’ll be the same player.
Kobe putting in some work with Carmelo and Love is great sign. One, Carmelo may be on the verge of signing with the Lakers. Two, Kobe feels ready to compete with the best of the best in the NBA. Three, Love might be getting a sense of what it might be like playing with the two superstars in Los Angeles.
Needless to say, things are looking up in Los Angeles with some potentially big news on the horizon.
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