Back in the day, August used to be reserved for football. Headlines about the NFL dominated newsstands. SportsCenter covered nothing but training camps. Everyone went away and used their summer vacations to mentally prepare for the upcoming season. (Oh, that was just me? Dah, well…)

Today? It’s almost the end of August and, while ESPN has certainly spent a ton of time talking about this guy (whose name I will not mention…), they’ve also spent an inordinate amount of time talking hoops. Specifically, they’ve been speculating about the future of Carmelo Anthony, who reportedly wants to leave the Denver Nuggets sometime in the near future to join either the New York Knicks, the New Jersey Nets, the Houston Rockets or the Orlando Magic.

If he’s smart, Carmelo spent his summer watching the public backlash LeBron James took from the media, Cleveland fans, fellow players and just about anyone not wearing a Miami Heat jersey these days. But if he didn’t for some reason, we wanted to point out a few things he can learn from LeBron’s exodus from Cleveland. Listen up, ‘Melo—and don’t let history repeat itself.

1) Don’t string your Denver fans along all season…

If you’re planning on leaving at the end of next season when your contract runs out, talk to upper management and see if they can get a deal done now. Additionally, find some way to express to the Nuggets fans that you’re interested in leaving at the end of the season, that it’s nothing personal and that you want to leave the organization on good terms. An open letter on your Web site will do. But don’t carry speculation into the season and expect your tenure with the team to end on a positive note.

2) Don’t pretend you’re not leaving…

This goes hand-in-hand with the lesson above. At some point, you’re going to actually have to make a statement about your interest in leaving the Nuggets. Make it good. Don’t use phrases like, “what’s best for the team” or “focus on this season” or “go out and play hard.” Have a game plan. We don’t care if you have to get a PR team to do it. Just have something to say. If you’re staying, say that. If not, say that. Force the Nuggets to make a move. It’ll hurt, but like pulling off a Band-Aid, it’ll only hurt for a second or two.

3) Don’t leave without saying goodbye…

One of the reasons LeBron left Cleveland on such bad terms is that the city found out he was leaving at the same time as the rest of the world. That’s a little like breaking up with your girlfriend by changing your Facebook relationship status to “Single” without actually letting your girlfriend know first. If you’re definitely going to go, the least you can do is announce your decision to the hometown fans first. The day the deal is done, throw an ad into the Denver Post to thank them. It’ll go a long way towards taking care of your legacy.

4) Don’t hold anything that even remotely resembles The Decision…

This one goes without saying. ESPN is still catching flack for letting LeBron hold the network hostage for an hour, so we’re guessing they’d probably pull themselves out of the running if you approached them with a similar show idea. But even if they did want to host your decision, don’t do it. It’s distasteful, classless, egocentric and…Oh, you get the point.

5) Don’t rub your decision in your former fans’ faces…

If I’m a Cleveland fan right now, I’m mad at LeBron for holding The Decision, but I’m pissed at him for taking part in that celebration in Miami the following night. That’s like breaking up with your girlfriend on Facebook—and then uploading a picture of you getting off a plane in Vegas. The media will make a big deal about wherever you land, ‘Melo; just remember Denver fans will be watching how you react when you get there.

6) Don’t expect Denver fans to understand…

If you’re leaving, you’re leaving. You’re not longer representing the city of Denver. You’re no longer a Nugget. You’re no longer a beloved basketball player who reigns over the Rocky Mountains. You’re just another NBA player. Accept that and accept the fact that plenty of people in Denver will probably hate you. Don’t try to tell them about the good times or tell them they should be happy they got to watch you play for a few years. Just say, “Thank you,” and walk away. Breaking up is hard to do—but they’ll get over it.

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