With the NBA Finals now over (congrats to the Spurs!), all attention in professional basketball will shift to July 1, 2014. This, of course, is when Carmelo Anthony can be a free agent.
Melo actually has leverage in determining where he might end up, mainly because he can opt out and be considered a free agent. So what are the most likely suitors for his high-octane fueled offensive talents? Let’s take a look:
First and foremost, if we were to be realistic, we can rule out the New York Knicks, as the organization does not have much of a chance of keeping its star. Even after meeting team officials this past Friday, including president Phil Jackson and new head coach Derek Fisher, Anthony believes there are too many uncertainties regarding New York’s capability of bringing in enough support, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Melo is in his prime, and he wants to win now.
This leaves two championship contending teams, both of which field a strong supporting cast but are in different situations. The Chicago Bulls and the Houston Rockets can give Melo a great contract and an opportunity to win it all. The Bulls will need to amnesty Carlos Boozer and trade Taj Gibson and another player to have cap room for Melo. Houston can offer Melo a contract paying about $22 million per year, after unloading the contracts of Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik.
However, the teams have different paths to the Finals, and ultimately, championship glory. In Chicago, you have a defensive ace in Joakim Noah, a former MVP in Derrick Rose, and a great organization with rich history and a special coach in Tom Thibodeau. Of course, no one knows how Derrick Rose will fare when he comes back from his second knee injury. Will he return to be the dynamic self he was in 2010-11 or be the next Brandon Roy? Much of the team’s chemistry and composition will depend on Rose’s health. The Bulls, however, do have a much easier avenue in the playoffs, playing in the relatively weak Eastern Conference.
Houston also presents an appealing chance for Melo. He could be the final star to form Houston’s own Big 3, partnering with Dwight Howard and James Harden. The potential Houston Big 3, along with a starting lineup that includes underpaid swingman Chandler Parsons and point guard Patrick Beverly, clearly displays a better supporting cast than that of Chicago. The problem here lies in the defensive abilities of this cast (or lack thereof), which includes Carmelo. With Dwight as the only established defender, Daryl Morey would have to bring in at least one more defensive guard to makeup for Melo and Harden’s defensive lapses. Also, there is no guarantee to reach even the Western Conference Finals in a conference where even the upsets of number 1 seeds by number 8 seeds are not considered “upsets.”
Melo can officially opt out of his contract with the Knicks on June 23.
So what will it be, Melo?
Photo Credit: New York Daily News
