Carmelo Anthony to the Cleveland Cavaliers ?
That idea has been floating around in the minds of several basketball enthusiasts. Picturing the New York Knicks’ star in a Cavaliers’ uniform, and playing alongside LeBron James is a thought that comes to mind every time they face each other.
Well, the idea of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James playing side by side has now resurfaced. And that is thanks to a report by FanRag Sport’s Charley Rosen, those thoughts have turned into a flurry of NBA trade rumors regarding Anthony and the Cavaliers.
According to Rosen and FanRag Sports, Carmelo Anthony is growing tired of taking the blame for every time the New York Knicks lose a basketball game. Rosen goes on to suggest that Anthony would consider waiving his no-trade clause in his contract. But only to a couple of specific teams.
“He’s four months away from his 33rd birthday, his contract is humongous and contains a no-trade clause. It’s understood that he’d only accept being dealt to the [Cleveland] Cavaliers or the [Los Angeles] Clippers.”
Timing for the news regarding Carmelo Anthony and his willingness to waive his no-trade clause is interesting. It comes just days after the one-game disappearance (courtesy of ESPN ) of Knicks’ guard Derrick Rose.
While Charley Rosen mentions the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers specifically, but another team was mentioned. He did not rule out Carmelo Anthony being intrigued by joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
“However, since his recurring complaint is that everybody blames him for every game the Knicks lose, perhaps Melo is sufficiently disgusted to accept a trade elsewhere. Perhaps to the young, rebuilding Lakers — after all, his wife’s name is La La.”
Carmelo Anthony to the Clippers and Lakers make sense because of where La La Anthony is from. There is one huge downside. The Clippers, while in the hunt for an NBA championship, have to contend with the likes of the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. That means the road to an NBA title could be just as bumpy as it is for his New York Knicks’ team bid to make the playoffs.
If Carmelo Anthony would consider the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers must be on his list of desired teams.
The Clippers may look entirely different next season with both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin facing free agency. If one or the other leaves, the Clippers will be a lesser team. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers are a young team on the rise. They could use some veteran help from a player such as Carmelo Anthony. He could also help the Lakers recruit free agents to the team.
I’m Thankful for ALL of it. The Highs. The Lows. The Blessings. The Lessons. The Setbacks. The Comebacks. The Love. THE HATE. Everything. pic.twitter.com/ST7Nbu2E5I
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) January 14, 2017
Neither does the Clippers or Lakers boast the immediate championship opportunities as the Cleveland Cavaliers will.
Talks of the Cleveland Cavaliers having an interest in Carmelo Anthony can be traced for the past 18 months. Anthony on the Cavaliers, with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving would be an undeniably great trio. Unfortunately, for the Cavaliers to try and convince the Knicks to talk trade, Kevin Love would have to be involved.
There is a section of basketball observers who believe the Cavaliers will not win the NBA title without Kevin Love. That is even if he is swapped out for the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony. But the only way the Cavaliers have a shot at the Knicks’ superstar is if they are willing to part with Love.
A Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony trade would make the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense slightly more dynamic, albiet a bit more deliberate. If pace is something that the Cavaliers want to focus on, trying to pry Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks is a bad idea. The Cavaliers would play faster with Kevin Love hanging out on the perimeter.
The problem that the Cleveland Cavaliers have with Kevin Love is his lack of lineup versatility. That is something where Carmelo Anthony can thrive.
Anthony and James can be interchangeable players, both taking turns as the small forward and power forward for the Cavaliers. That type of flexibility would help the Cavaliers go head to head with the Golden State Warriors, who also employs a flexible lineup.
Kevin Love vs Carmelo Anthony
Love: 52.1 eFG% 23.1 PER 4.8 Win Shares 27.4 USG%
Melo: 47.7 eFG% 19.1 PER 3.2 Win Shares 29 USG% pic.twitter.com/aT7mkO2Vao
— oGB (@splashmoney24) January 15, 2017
There is a flaw in thinking that the Cleveland Cavaliers will go after Carmelo Anthony. Overall team chemistry could take a huge hit.
Kevin Love and Tristian Thompson play well together in the Cavaliers’ frontcourt. Also, Love is a slightly better post defender than Anthony. Love has accepted his role with the Cavaliers thus far and is outplaying his expectations. Meanwhile, Anthony is starting to decline with the Knicks. If there are any trade talks between the Cavaliers and Knicks, it will not come as a surprise. The thinking from the Cleveland Cavaliers point of view would be to add a volume scorer and playmaker, despite Love being the better fit.
Look for the NBA trade rumors regarding the Cleveland Cavaliers and a potential chase for Carmelo Anthony to heat up. If anything were to happen, it will not take place prior to the NBA All-Star game.
[Featured Image by Elsa/Getty Images]
