To a man or woman, Nets officials close to Mikhail Prokhorov use the same phrase to describe the state of the Nets' interest in Carmelo Anthony. "We're done," they say, as if reading from a prepared script. Most, if not all, in the sports media are highly skeptical, believing that master chess player Prokhorov is just waiting for Denver's next move...and of course, the Nuggets will in town Monday.
Now, it appears, the word is starting to resonate around the league. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (who first reported Melo's reluctance to sign an extension with the Nuggets) quotes a "league source" as saying, ""It's dead. The Nets won't come crawling back after everything that happened."
Similarly, Ken Berger reports, "The Nuggets believe the Nets come back to the table before the Feb. 24 trade deadline ... But a member of Anthony’s inner circle reiterated Thursday night that he doesn’t see that happening."