As Carmelo Anthony leans toward leaving New York, Chicago and Houston emerge as frontrunners

I hope you are not trying to compare Duncan, Parker and Manu to Marion and Carter...Three of those guys are actually winners and some of the best to ever play...... The others will quickly be forgotten.....

 

The Spurs have Pop and MUCH better talent. There really is no real comparison.

 

Ohhh shiiiiiiiiiiiii

 

Last I checked, the Mavs are not the Spurs.

 

Carter will forever be remembered. Best dunker EVER!

 

"@ESPNSteinLine: Mavs, in contrast to Bulls & Rockets, opting for low-key approach. Secret location for meeting; Mark Cuban determined to thwart "paparazzi"" Fuc Cuban for killing my dream of trolling Mavs fans

 

If the Mavs are as good as Spurs, why do they need Melo? lol. The addition of Melo and Chandler will no doubt make Mavs a very good team. But still, Rockets has the most talent. If it is truly all about winning, he should join the Rockets, period.

 

For some reason, I don't see Dallas signing Carmelo.

I do see them signing Deng, however, and going to war with a Deng-Dirk-Chandler frontcourt.

 

If he doesn't want Houston, I just really hope he doesn't end up in Dallas. You can at least live with him going to the Bulls or staying with the Knicks. Adding to the competition that is already there in this Southwest Division would be a double whammy for the Rockets if they aren't able to get Melo and he ends up in Dallas.

 

Anyone know the best mavs fan forum i wanna know about the dallas meeting

 

Chandler-Dirk-Deng-Ellis-Felton?

I hope they enjoy their first round exits for the next couple of years.

 

Wow they are talking lots of s*** about the rockets on the mavs forum. From the limo, to "2 tainted rings 20 years ago" and "high murder rates". Their jealousy is hilarious.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Can confirm Bulls flying to LA to meet w/ Gasol. <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine">@ESPNSteinLine</a> 1st. Interest had been previously reported and face-to-face new development.</p>&mdash; K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) <a href="https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/statuses/484468419350495232">July 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
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maybe Chicago knows there NOT getting melo!

 

They must have forgot the part about Dwight choosing us over them last year.

 

Didn't he MARRY tammy from the Real World and other horrible Reality shows?

Rocket River
Evidently he couldn't see a whole whole lot

 

I am sure this was exactly the sentiment (in reverse) in Dallas last year regarding Dwight Howard.

Would Cuban have a brain hemorrhage if we did it to them two years in a row?

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Source: Knicks free agent Carmelo Anthony has private chat with Dwight Howard &amp; James Harden during Rockets meeting. <a href="http://t.co/ws7pcS1QKS" title="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/carmelo-anthony-meets-with-rockets-223218586.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter">yhoo.it/1mLkpAl</a></p>&mdash; Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/484469734738386944" data-datetime="2014-07-02T22:52:40+00:00">July 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Rockets meeting with Carmelo Anthony 'went well' <a href="http://t.co/KuF2pYGB4g" title="http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2014/07/rockets-welcome-carmelo-anthony-with-sign-at-toyota-center/">blog.chron.com/ultimaterocket…</a></p>&mdash; Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/484469767340699648" data-datetime="2014-07-02T22:52:48+00:00">July 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
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S&T possible, no? Even if they don't get Anthony, they probably want to have other ducks in a row.

 

Exactly. It must suck living in that dump of a city.

 

The Mavs' five-pronged pitch to Melo

July, 1, 2014
Jul 1

11:52

PM CT

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com

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Carmelo AnthonyJerome Miron/USA TODAY SportsThe Mavs have a definite plan when it comes to trying to woo Carmelo Anthony to Dallas.
DALLAS -- There will surely be some bells and whistles during Carmelo Anthony's visit with the Dallas Mavericks, such as entertainment elements and marketing plans.

You can count on money coming up in the conversation, too, with that discussion centering on just how close Mark Cuban can come to a max-contract offer.

But the Dallas decision-makers firmly believe Anthony has the purest intentions as he takes a free-agency tour that started Tuesday in Chicago, will make stops in Houston and Dallas on Wednesday, head west to Los Angeles for a Thursday visit with the Lakers and wrap up with the Knicks trying to talk him into returning to New York.

"There's no question he's entering the phase of his career where he wants to win," a source said, well aware that Anthony has advanced past the first round only twice in 11 NBA seasons after carrying Syracuse to a national title during his lone NCAA campaign.

That's why this will be mostly a meat-and-potatoes presentation. The Mavs' four-man committee of Cuban, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, coach Rick Carlisle and All-Star power forward Dirk Nowitzki will make a five-pronged pitch appealing to Anthony's burning desire to play for a contender.



[+] EnlargeCarlisle
Brendan Maloney/USA TODAY SportsRick Carlisle has few rivals in the coaching ranks when it comes to game-planning, a trait the Mavs hope will appeal to Carmelo Anthony.
1. Play for an elite coach: Carlisle joins Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra and Doc Rivers as the only active NBA championship coaches, and he has outwitted two of those men in recent playoff series.

Pop's Spurs won the series against the Mavs, but it was by far San Antonio's toughest step to the title, primarily because of Carlisle's game-planning brilliance. That, as well as the underdog Mavs' championship march in 2011, offers tangible evidence of the impact Carlisle can have on a playoff series.

"Everybody thought we were going to get crushed," Cuban said recently. "That allows us not to say, 'Hey, we played them the best,' but allows us to say, 'Look, when it comes to the playoffs in particular, Rick has got the skill set and we've got veteran guys who know how to implement offensive and defensive strategies that really give us a unique opportunity.' That's something that very few teams can say.

"If you look at other teams with cap room and then you just look at their coach and if they've made the playoffs, you look at how their playoff runs went, you're not looking at them and saying, 'Wow, that team really ... .' I don't want to throw anybody under the bus, but their coaches are not as good as Rick Carlisle."

Carlisle is also considered one of the NBA's most creative offensive minds. His ideas of how to help Anthony be more efficient should be welcomed by a 30-year-old who has had to work hard for most of his nearly 20,000 career points.

2. Play with a selfless star: Nowitzki is not only willing to hand the keys to the franchise over to a capable superstar, he's taking a massive pay cut in an effort to help make it happen. He might even accept a lower salary than anticipated if that's what it takes to make Melo a Mav.

Nowitzki would have no issue with sacrificing shots to allow Anthony to be the new go-to guy in Dallas. Is that the case with James Harden in Houston? How about reluctant recruiter Derrick Rose in Chicago?

Anthony can also ask Monta Ellis how much easier life is with Dirk drawing the defense's attention when he's within 30 feet of the rim.

Granted, the idea of teaming up with the 36-year-old Nowitzki would be much more appealing if he were younger, but the big German proved last season that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank by averaging an efficient 21.7 points per game during the 12th All-Star campaign of his career. There's certainly less reason to doubt Dirk now than there was when the Mavs were wooing Dwight Howard last summer.



[+] EnlargeTyson Chandler
Harry How/Getty ImagesWith Tyson Chandler, right, rejoining Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs, the potential addition of Carmelo Anthony would make for a potent frontcourt.
3. A quality supporting cast: The Mavs believe the trade for defensive anchor Tyson Chandler gave them a legitimate chance of landing Anthony. They can now make the case that adding Anthony would give Dallas the league's best frontcourt.

They can also make the case that a Melo-Dirk-Monta one-two-three punch would be the NBA's most potent offensive trio.

The Mavs didn't have Ellis and Chandler on the roster during their previous failed pitches to big fish. Notably, Deron Williams cited the lack of talent around Nowitzki as one of the primary reasons he didn't come to Dallas.

The Mavs would be challenged to find quality players to fill out their rotation if Anthony signed for a salary presumably starting in the $16 million to $18 million range. However, the resourceful Dallas front office has a history of finding bargain-priced role players.

Which leads us to ...

4. A proven front office and culture of winning: When it comes to stability and sustained success among front offices in today's NBA, only the Spurs trump the Mavs.

Nowitzki deserves much of the credit, but Cuban and Nelson put the pieces together for one of four franchises in NBA history to win 50-plus games each season for at least a decade. They've proven they can sustain a contender around a superstar, with 13 playoff appearances, two Finals trips and one title to show for it.

Cuban is as competitive and committed to winning as any owner in the league. He won't hesitate to pay luxury-tax bills if he believes he's making moves that improve a contender's odds of putting another Larry O'Brien trophy in his kitchen.

Cuban also spares no expense when it comes to technological innovation that can prevent injuries and prolong players' primes and careers. That could appeal to Anthony as he enters his 30s.

5. A plan for the future: Would Anthony be left as Dallas’ lone star when Nowitzki stops shooting one-legged fadeaways and starts spending days in a rocking chair? Not if the front office executes its plan.

Another benefit of the six-player trade with the New York Knicks was that it ensured the Mavs would have ample cap space again next summer. Dallas intends to aggressively pursue Kevin Love, Marc Gasol and/or LaMarcus Aldridge if they hit the open market.