It has been reported that Carmelo Anthony will opt out of his final year of his contract with the New York Knicks, making him a free agent. According to a number of reports, the clear front-runners in the chase to sign Anthony are the Chicago Bulls and the Houston Rockets. It seems to be a given that Anthony will be in one of those jerseys next season, but the Knicks still have a shot to keep Carmelo. Will Carmelo join Derrick Rose (SIA) and Joakim Noah, or James Harden and Dwight Howard? Or does he stay and have faith in Phil jackson?
All indications are that the clear front-runner to land Anthony are the Chicago Bulls. In my opinion, this is the best situation Anthony could put himself. If he signs with Chicago, he will play with a former NBA MVP in Derrick Rose and this year’s defensive player of the year in Joakim Noah. Should Chicago amnesty Carlos Boozer they will have the cap space to be able to sign Anthony.
The Bulls could have Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Carmelo Anthony, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah. If Chicago can re-vamp their bench, and another rumored trade for Arron Afflalo could push Butler to the role of sixth man, this is a team that could contend in the Eastern Conference. Its only a matter of time before Carmelo is able to get out of the first round.
Even though there are doubts about the health of Derrick Rose, I think he should be just fine after missing the majority of last season. Many have said he is starting to look like the Derrick Rose we know, the one that won the MVP award. Time and time again, we talk about how Chicago sometimes lacks scoring. Bring Carmelo in, and you have one of the top five scorers in the NBA. It could make life easier for Rose, which wouldn’t put as much pressure on him. Also, Tom Thibideauo and Joakim Noah would help cover any deficiencies Carmelo has on defense. The Bulls are a defensive minded team, and Carmelo is a talented enough athlete that he will also make adjustments.
Anthony would be taking a paycut, but at this point, he may be willing to do anything possible to have a shot at that elusive NBA Championship.
The next contender to sign Anthony are the Houston Rockets. This situation is a little more complicated, but it could work. If Carmelo were to come to Houston, you have an offensive scoring machine team that I’m not sure anyone could stop. But defense? Ehh… It’s still not gonna be good. And we all know defense wins championships. For Carmelo to come to Houston, the Rockets organization will have to make some moves. For sure, Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik would have to be traded. Their contracts are just worth way too much money for where they would be in the lineup. Then, the Rockets will have to choose between Terrence Jones and Chandler Parsons. This is a very tough decision. Jones had a great season and is on the rise. But, Chandler is one of the most important players on this Rockets team and if it wasn’t for him, Dwight Howard probably wouldn’t be in Houston. I think the Rockets will try to trade Terrence Jones and keep Chandler, if they are able to land Carmelo. Of course that also depends on whether or not Chandler is okay with Carmelo taking more of a load. I believe that Chandler wants to win, and he’ll make the sacrifice.
Now, let’s talk about the duo in Houston, James Harden and Dwight Howard. Both of these players are legitimate superstars in this league, and it seems they want to add another superstar to create a big three. That said, Carmelo may not be the best choice. These three players are used to having the ball in their hands, with Harden and Anthony usually being the closers for their teams. Would Harden want to defer to Anthony in clutch time and vice-versa? It would be tough for both of players to adjust. You als have to take into account that neither Harden nor Anthony are very good defensively. They can score all they want, but it won’t mean anything if they aren’t getting stops. Carmelo Anthony in Houston could be very interesting, so we’ll see what happens.
And now, you have Anthony’s current team, the New York Knicks. It’s been a very rough year for the Knicks. After being a top team in the East just two years ago, they took a a serious decline last season and missed the playoffs. It seems that the Knicks are blowing up their roster. Iman Shumpert has been in trade talks for a while, and Tyson Chandler has recently been mentioned. Raymond Felton was told by Phil Jackson that he will be traded. We have no idea who will be on the Knicks next season. If I’m Carmelo, I’m getting out of New York. Sure, it’s the big city lifestyle and you’re making a lot of money, but you should be wanting to win championships. He’s not going to win in New York, it’s just that simple. Many feel he’s going to leave, and it seems that he is going to leave. Sorry Stephen A Smith and Spike Lee, it’s going to be very rough for you Knick Fans.
When it’s all said and done, I think we will be seeing Carmelo Anthony in a Bulls uniform next season. It’s the best situation for him, and he will have a chance to win championships. Houston may have the better team, but it’d be very hard to have good chemistry on that team. It is going to be a very interesting couple of weeks for Carmelo Anthony. And please, stop with the Melo to Miami rumors. It’s not going to happen.
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