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

For a ROSTER point of view the Rockets look great (as does Chicago).

It just might come down to how "comfortable" Carmelo feels with management, the actual contract offer (Houston might have a slight advantage over Chicago in this), and it might come down with FAMILY, and what city feels best for them.

 

Yep, but at least everyone will know for certain what Carmelo is really about.

 

I don't know if the glamour city thing will kill us as much in Carmelo's eyes as it will in LaLa's. And she will definitely have a say. If she sees Houston as a provincial swampland that can't further her career alongside her husband's, she'll certainly mention it.

 

I don't get it, she's already 35, Melo should ditch Lala and get a new, younger, more impressive looking trophy wife.

 

i think he already has his mind mostly made up but just want to be courted and treated like a rock star. kinda like high school recruiting trips. he needs his ego stroked, and phil ain't doing it.

if he's worried about winning and how patient he would have to be with new york, why would he even consider the lakers? they don't even have a coach!

and dallas? that's like Knicks West (ok maybe not since dirk is that much better than amare), but does he really think all they were missing in nyc is swap amare for dirk? carlisle is a much better coach then mike woodsen, though.

i think this would end up like dwight - according to woj, dwight never wanted to come to houston but houston made it impossible for him to go anywhere else if he really wanted to win. for melo, if he really only cares about winning and wants a ring within the next 2-3 years, he really doesn't have a choice other than houston. houston is a talented team on paper.

 

Nothing new or groundbreaking...

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/sto...-love-lebron-james-carmelo-anthony-jeremy-lin

 

Over the top? They barely snuck into the playoffs as an 8 seed, and Dirk -- the only other star on the roster -- is going to turn 37 during the next year. As opposed to Houston, which has two stars in their 20s and was a 54-win, 4-seed without Carmelo. Dallas is the least of my worries.

 

Dallas at least got to a Game 7 against the eventual champs without home court advantage. That's more than the Rockets accomplished this past season. Sure, we've got the younger roster and more potential, but that doesn't guarantee anything. Plus who would you rather play for as a coach? McFail or Carlisle?

I'm not trying to rag on the Rockets, but I'm starting to get concerned that at some point(and I hope we're not already there), the reality of them never winning anything doesn't start to turn off top free agents from coming here.

 

He can't talk to the Heat about it, but he can talk to Lebron. If Lebron says he wants the Big 3 to re-sign for less so that management can go get more talent, Bosh can be confident that the Heat will offer him an acceptable contract lest they risk losing Lebron. Now, if that's not what Lebron is thinking, Bosh can opt-out so he can jump to a different team with a better chance of winning or stay put and collect on his out-of-the-money contract.

 

Going forward the only thing the Mavs have on the Rockets is their head coach.

Dallas was filled with vets who also knew their roles and filled them well compared to the Rockets one of the youngest team in the leagues having to adjust to getting a top 10 (depending on the opinion top 5) player being inserted into their starting lineup.


Dirk is aging gracefully - he minutes have come down and lets not forget that he did have some injuries 2 seasons ago that kept him in and out of the lineup. I am not saying he is going to be getting the 'Wade' treatment but he isnt going to be a star guy who is going to be playing 37-38 minutes. LeBron wants to be able to bring his minutes down to the 34-35 per game (his career average is 39.5) to help him conserve energy and prolong his career. Thats not going to happen unless he gets some young legs around him willing to take on the the burden of playing those extra minutes and still maintain a high level of basketball

 

Interesting that we are all of the sudden being mentioned as a possible Love destination.

 

Makes some sense. Loser of the Carmelo sweepstakes goes after Love.

 

Haren ballhog and Dwight crybaby

/CFdebbiedowner

 

Are we in a position to win NOW? We have difficulty matching up with Westbrook/CP3. We have problems against many 4s.

During the playoffs, teams like Memphis, LAC, and OKC are tough for us. Dallas however, has won against these teams during the season, and as stated before, were the toughest competition for the Spurs in the playoffs. Carlisle also has effective defensive schemes.

Whats the guarantee that adding Melo will push us forward? We said last year that adding Dwight would push us to at least (team expectations) the WCF.

Moving forward, what makes us a top 4 team in the NBA? Does Melo himself believe that coming to Houston will put them up there, or is Chicago the easier route? How likely is it that Rose is going to be hurt a 3rd time?

At the end of the day, my dream is for Love and to upgrade our coaching.

As a fan, hell yeah, I'd be down for Carmelo. I'm just trying to see through that dude's perspective.

 

2 top 10 players, adding a 3rd? You bet your ass we're in position to win now.

 

What's the guarantee we can compete with the Clippers and the Thunder during postseason? In my opinion, it's seems pretty difficult even if a 3rd all star is added.

Coaching and depth makes LAC a threat. Poor matchups against OKC also make them a threat (Dwight looked abused by Steven Adams; no consistent PG matchup for Westbrook, and where's the D on Durant?)

 

From one interview, Melo mentioned that the city and where he settles down for the next few years really matters as far as he and his family is concerned.

Despite being the best basketball wise, I don't think Houston ranks at the top of his list. If we were in LA it would probably be a done deal by now. I'm not surprised he's visiting instead of having everyone come to him.

 

Just like every year, winning, coaching, depth, talent is not enough. You need luck. The Spurs got some luck this year along the way to the championship. So did Miami the year before.

Can we go toe to toe with the elites in a 7 game series? No but as long as we can stay competitive (e.g. not get egregiously exposed) we have a shot. Getting Carmelo closes one of the biggest gaps (e.g. talent) we have between us and the top 4 teams in the west.

 

Good point. Thanks.

I'm trying to think realistically what Carmelo adds to the team, and what we lose (in possible S&T).

I guess adding Love would close the gaps on talent and competitiveness, but again, I can only dream.

Realistically, I think Melo chooses Chicago, because it gives them a better chance at the Finals, and I think Rose getting injured again is unlikely. Even without Rose, good coaching, solid defense, and talent makes the Bulls an attractive destination.

 

Why in the world would you think Rose getting injured is unlikely...