Nets point guard Devin Harris is now expected to be a part of the team's future.

Harris was nearly traded in a four-team deal that would have sent Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey.

The Nets are trying to get Anthony without including Harris.

"What we're telling Devin is if we can continue to develop the players that we have and somewhere in the future we get fortunate with a free agent or whatever situation that comes up, we'll be a much better team," coach Avery Johnson said.

"We're telling Devin the more we can develop, the more he can help our players get better."

The Nets are still motivated to land forward Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets before the Knicks find a way to beat them to it, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

New Jersey still is ready to assemble a package that includes Derrick Favors, the third overall pick in this past June's NBA Draft, along with multiple first-round picks.

However, a source indicates that the Nets haven't budged from their stance regarding Anthony's future. They don't simply want to rent the All-Star forward for a portion of the season -- they insist on getting his signature on a contract extension before agreeing to make a deal.

Chauncey Billups would like to finish his career with the Nuggets, his hometown team, and work in their front office after his playing career is over.

Billups is set to make $14.2 million next season, but only $3.7 million is protected if he's released before the 2011-12 season.

"I know the business of basketball. Nothing really surprises me in this game. People talk about Carmelo (Anthony), the possibility of me being moved, the J.R. Smith situation -- there are a lot of uncertainties around here. I don't like being part of the uncertainty. But that's what it is, that's the nature of the beast. I've been down the road. I know how this business goes. I respect the process. At the same time, I know what I've done to change the culture around here," Billups said.

Nuggets forward Chris "Birdman" Andersen was scheduled to practice on Sunday and play his first game of the season on Monday.

Andersen has not yet appeared in the 10-11 season due to a knee injury.

Denver will face off against Golden State on Monday night.

The Nuggets are now pushing for center Brook Lopez in any trade with the Nets that would send Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey, according to a league source.

For weeks, Denver was reportedly asking for rookie Derrick Favors as the centerpiece of a trade for Anthony.

LaLa Vazquez, the wife of Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, says she's not pushing her husband to play for the Knicks.

Anthony has a three-year, $65 million contract extension on the table from Denver that he's yet to sign. There has been speculation that he'll soon play for the Knicks or Nets.

Vazquez insists she's not the driving force behind the rampant speculation that her husband will end up in New York.

"Wherever he's going to feel comfortable is where I want him to be," she said. "If that's here in Denver, then we are happy to stay here in Denver."

Anthony told reporters that he's not ruling out staying in Denver but is keeping his options open.

The widely held belief has been that any team that acquires Carmelo Anthony in a potential trade with the Nuggets would look to sign the forward to a contract extension as part of any deal.

That may not be true, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

"Ridiculous," one Western Conference general manager said when asked about demanding an extension prior to a deal.

"A handful of team executives consulted this week by ESPN.com believe there are more than a few teams in circulation that would be willing to trade for Melo without getting his name on an extension, even though the risk of losing Anthony without compensation in July is precisely why countless league observers believe the Nuggets will eventually have to give in and give him up," Stein writes.

Stein goes on to mention the Mavericks and Rockets as teams that might be willing to simply rent Anthony for the second half of the season.

Nuggets coach George Karl is in the final year of his contract and says that his health will determine his future.

"At the end of the year, if my health is more important, then I'll walk away from the game of basketball," Karl said. "I'm not saying that's what I want. But I'm not saying that I haven't thought about that more than any time in my life.

"So, I don't think [what the front office decides] matters a lot to me, because as much as they're evaluating me and what they want to do with me, I'm probably evaluating what I want to do with me."

Karl is a two-time cancer survivor and won't hesitate to retire if he suffers any setbacks or needs to reduce his stress level.

He is in his 23rd NBA season and is closing in on 1,000 wins, a feat accomplished by only six other coaches.

With a game against the Knicks in Denver on Tuesday, Carmelo Anthony was asked about Mike D'Antoni's coaching system.

"You're up and down, fast-paced and you get extra possessions in the game," Anthony said. "On the flip side, I?ve been on teams where we weren't known for our defense, and that?s not something I want to ever deal with again."

Anthony called Tuesday's contest against New York "just another game on my schedule" and earlier claimed that he didn't even realize that the Knicks were coming to town.

After recent one-on-one conversations with Carmelo Anthony, Peter Vecsey came away feeling that Anthony is unwilling to join the Nets.

Anthony reiterated that his primary consideration is winning.  But even as the Knicks struggle to a 3-7 start, Vecsey reports that the Knicks remain on -- if not at the top of -- Anthony's list of preferred destinations.

"I'm just like LeBron," Anthony said. "It's all about winning. That's all I care about. I want the chance to compete at the championship level. All the other stuff is irrelevant."