They call it “The Melo Rule,” and it has been one of the sticking points between players and owners in the broken-down talks over a new NBA collective-bargaining agreement.

The prohibition of “extend-and-trade” deals, such as the one that allowed the Knicks to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets last season, is one of six contentious system issues that brought the collective-bargaining process to a grinding halt last week.

Through the Melo Rule, the owners want to limit how much control a player has on where he plays. Players, meanwhile, want the freedom to go where they please.

And the player who inspired the rule found it amusing that it could become a part of his legacy.

“I’m just glad I can be part of something,” Anthony said last month. “When I’m dead and gone, the Melo Rule will still be here. I’m just excited that they named a rule after me.”

via Alan Hahn of Newsday