Despite the rumors about the Lakers dealing for Carmelo Anthony, I’m not buying it. In my opinion, the Nuggets aren’t really interested in the injury-prone Bynum and floating this rumor to get the Knicks to give them more players….

So far, all the Nuggets are getting is Anthony Randolph, Wilson Chandler and a #1 pick; not nearly enough for a player of Melo’s quality….

They want a lottery pick from a third team and also want the Knicks to add Danilo Gallinari or Landry Fields….

So they make noise about the Bynum deal and hope the Knicks will bite….

If I’m New York, I call their bluff and hold firm. I’d simply wait, hold onto Chandler and sign Melo in the off-season….

As for the Lakers, I wouldn’t trade Bynum for Anthony unless I’m also getting a center in the deal. There’s no way I’m going into the playoffs with Pau Gasoft at center, because he proved in 2008 he’s soft, gutless and cowardly in that position….

What the Celtics did to him reminded me of an episode of “Oz,” when Vern Schillinger introduced Tobias Beecher to prison life….

The scenes from Schillinger’s cell were what Kendrick Perkins, KG and Big Baby did to Gasoft….

While the Celtics players smoked cigarettes, Gasoft made sure they got their paper and slippers; while wearing lipstick and a dress….

I love Pau at PF, because he has a size advantage over anyone he plays against and a matchup nightmare. But at center he’s a defensive liability with no heart….

So if the Nuggets want to make a deal, I’d insist the throw in Nene, who is a very tough, strong, defensive minded center….

Here’s my offer: Bynum, Sasha Vujacic’s $5M trade exception, a couple of #1 picks and any player on the Lakers roster except Lamar Odom, Kobe bryant and Gasol….

Take it or leave it….

Unless….

If the Nuggets get a third team involved and the Lakers get an Emeka Okafor, Kendrick Perkins, one of the Lopez twins, etc. Then I make the Melo for Bynum deal….

But if I’m not getting a center, no deal. I simply am not going into the post-season with Gasoft at center….

After listing the Portland Trail Blazers list of blunders over the years, a reader EMailed me to tell me of another; passing on Larry Bird in the 1978 draft….

If you’ll recall, Bird was a Junior out of Indiana St. who was an excellent player, but relatively unknown to the rest of America….

Back then, you could draft a player with eligibility remaining, as long as his class had graduated. And since Bird had used a redshirt year and was entering his fifth collegiate season, was eligible to be drafted….

The problem was Bird had announced he was going to return for his Senior season, which meant any team drafting him would have to wait a year, assuming they could sign him before the 1979 draft. And if they failed to come to terms, Bird would re-enter the draft and the team selecting him would be s*** out of luck….

But Red Auerbach knew Bird was a superstar and selected Bird with the 6th pick in the first round. He was so high on Larry he was willing to wait a year….

Sure enough, Bird exploded in his Senior season and led the Sycamores to the NCAA title game. Then Auerbach and the Celtics signed him to a lucrative contract and the Birdman became one of the greatest players in NBA history….

Anyway, my reader pointed out that the Blazers had the #1 and #7 picks in 1978 and were planning to take Larry with their #7 pick. Unfortunately, Auerbach outfoxed them and took Bird one pick ahead….

With the #1 pick, Portland took Mychal Thompson, who became one of the best centers in the NBA and a fan favorite. While not Larry Bird, Mychal remains the Blazers all-time leader in blocks and defensive rebounds, while averaging 18P and 10R over his eight years there….

And that was in the era of Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Robert Parish, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ralph Sampson, Dan Issel and several other elite centers….

If Mychal Thompson played today, he’d be a 25 and 12 guy, perennial All-Star and Hall-of-Famer….

Unfortunately, he came along during a golden age of centers, but still was an excellent player and recently voted in the Top-10 of All-Time Blazers players….

So it’s hard to blame Portland for not taking Bird with the #1 pick, considering they would have to wait a year and nobody knew how good Bird was….

Plus, they got an excellent played in Thompson….

Kudos to Auerbach for his foresight, but I can’t blame the Blazers for selecting Thompson. They were going to take Bird with the #7 pick and were undercut by Auerbach; who might have been the best talnet evaluator in NBA history….

But oh, what possibilities. Portland could have had Bird, Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler and Moses Malone. If only they had a crystal ball…

Interesting to read that Auburn’s Cam Newton will enter the NFL draft and has selected Bus Cook as his agent. Cook, as you know, was also the agent for Brett Favre and Newton said yesterday that Favre “will be my mentor and I’m excited.”….

Let’s hope Brett tutors Newton on football skills and not how to text. I’m not anxious to see Cam’s penis splashed all over the internet….

And after watching Newton overthrow wide open receivers and one hop teammates five yards in front of him, any NFL team would be crazy to take him in the draft….

He was an outstanding college player, buit a certain bust at the next level….

Which means the Yorks will probbaly want to select Newton with the 49ers first round pick….