Carmelo Anthony is biding his time in Denver. (PicApp)

You listen and talk about it and as you keep talking about it the prospect of dating this person begins to sound like a good idea. But as they keep pressuring you to blindly jump into a relationship, you realize you have to just cut ties and go your separate ways.

That's essentially what happened over the course of the last few months with trade talks involving Carmelo Anthony and the New Jersey Nets.

But fans no longer have to sit by their computers in anticipation of a deal because finally, finally the Melo trade watch in New Jersey is over with.

On Wednesday, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov called off the tug-of-war trade negotiations between his team and the Denver Nuggets. Now the basketball universe has to wait for the next supposedly close trade.

In the meantime, you might ask, what is next for the Nuggets and Melo?

The Nuggets still have a disgruntled star on their hands.

Melo may say he is committed to the Nuggets (or at least that he'll play another string of games with them). But is he really serious about his team’s future? I think it's time to use the famous quote,” The proof is in the pudding.”

Melo refuses to sign a three-year, $65 million extension with the Nuggets. Instead, he is gambling $83 million dollars (he is due $18 million next year if he chooses not to opt out of his contract, plus the $65 million he'll get if he signs the extension) against the expiring collective bargaining agreement.

The Players Association and the owners are meeting during the All-Star Game in the hope of settling their dispute before the season is over, but the two sides are far apart in negotiations and a lockout seems inevitable.

The Nuggets are going to have to move Carmelo before the Feb. 24 deadline or risk letting their franchise player walk out the door without compensation.

They're in a tough spot, but there is hope for this team. The New York Knicks and Houston Rockets have been publicly linked to Melo in the media.

The Knicks are looking to move Anthony Randolph with the intent of obtaining first round draft picks so they can package them with either Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler and Bill Walker or Landry Fields. Draft picks have been a hangup in previous talks about Melo between New York and Denver.

The Houston Rockets have in their possession Yao Ming’s expiring contract, which is paid for by the NBA, Jordan Hill and the Knicks' unprotected first round pick in 2012. A combination of those pieces could also interest the Nuggets, though talks between Denver and Houston have been less publicized than those between Denver and New York and, until earlier this week, Denver and New Jersey.

It remains to be seen whether either of these teams will be able to put together a package that the Nuggets deem worthy, but either way the Nuggets will be forced to make a move before the trade deadline or lose arguably the best player in Nuggets history for nothing.

To reach Miles Cooper, click here.