It’s not every summer when an NBA player who averaged 27 point per game happens to just swap teams in the off-season. As pointed out by ESPN, the last time this abnormality occurred was 48 months ago, when LeBron James lived the American Dream by spurning the frigid midwest to collect four straight Finals appearances and two championships in South Beach. Now that Carmelo Anthony tendered his two weeks to Phil Jackson and the Knicks, that counter is reset again.
Anthony is possibly leaving $40 million on the table should he choose to sign elsewhere. Thanks to the 2011 CBA, the Knickerbockers can flash more money to Anthony than the 29 other teams. But we've living in a new era.
The Heat’s "superteam" blueprint has been copied, with mixed results. Brooklyn mortgaged its future by trading for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce while the Lakers and the Rockets each gave Dwight Howard a spin. Those super teams are a collective 0-4 in the playoffs.
ESPN's Chris Broussard said on SportsCenter earlier today that he believes the Knicks are still in the running, but color me shocked if Anthony re-signs for four years of Phil Jackson telling Derek Fisher what to do from the stands.
ESPN listed four possible contenders for Melo and I've taken the liberty to count them down from "No Way" to "the La La's Full Court Life episode when Melo and La La find movers that they like."
Ha, Yeah Right: Houston Rockets
Haven't we tried building a superteam around Dwight Howard twice before? Let’s see how much less defense Melo and James Harden can play together.
Universe's Cruel Sense of Humor: Miami Heat
I’m still hoping for this outcome if only because it’d be hilarious. But if the Heat’s evisceration last week taught us anything, Miami needs actual basketball players and not another big name to sell tickets.
Pretty Cool If It Happened: Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs have shown already that they can compete having pushed San Antonio to seven games. Unfortunately, they aren't even the best team in their own state and the stacked Western Conference is not an appealing destination for a free agent trolling for rings.
CHI-MELO: Chicago Bulls
Pardon the awful pun, but Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and cap space make Chicago an attractive landing place for a player like Carmelo who doesn't like to pass or play defense, since Rose and Noah can handle those pesky duties. If the Wizards can advance to the second round of the playoffs, Chicago can win the whole East with rivals Indiana and Miami on uncertain ground moving forward.
