Pondering Melo to the Hive

So on ESPN, if you are an insider you get access to 'rumors' ohhhh wooow. So anyways they had one rumor that suggested that it is possible for the Hornets to clear enough cap to get Carmelo to the Big Easy to team with Chris Paul, which would probably make CP3 very happy. Here is the rumor in its entirety. Hopefully ESPN or anyone else does not hire a hit man to assassinate me:

"Lakers window is 2-3 years," he continued. "After that a Paul-led Hornets team could be among favorites in West. Just have to be smart next 18 months."

So who could the team attract?

Well, Carmelo Anthony has yet to sign a contract extension with Denver, and he's eligible to become a free agent next summer.

There have been talks of Melo and Paul heading to New York to form their own Big Three with Amare Stoudemire, so both players teaming up in New Orleans isn't that far-fetched -- though New York is certainly a bigger stage than New Orleans.

The Hornets have around $69 million in committed salaries for next season, so the team doesn't have a lot of financial flexibility right now.

But according to HoopsHype.com, their payroll is currently set for about $47 million heading into 2011-2012, as Peja Stojakovic's large contract comes off the books after this season.

If the Hornets can make a few smart moves to clear some more salary (or if David West opts out of the last year of his deal), Melo could conceivably be had -- especially if he comes under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement.

Of course, it's possible Paul is traded out of town before Melo becomes available in free agency next summer -- something we noted earlier on Tuesday. And this is all provided Melo doesn't extend his contract in Denver.

But if a few things fall into place, it's conceivable.