Melo Drama

It seems as if every time Carmelo Anthony's name is mentioned in today's media, it is in the context of where he will be playing next season.  Melo has the option to either opt-in to his final year of his contract with the Knicks and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, or he can opt-out of his final year and become a free agent this summer.  Speculation is leaning towards him testing free agency this summer, so in this post I wanted to cover his potential options and decide which would make the most sense for Melo at this point in his career.

New York

His first choice would be to remain with the Knicks and see if he can, in fact, make them contenders again like they were two seasons ago.  With a new coach, Derek Fisher, and Phil Jackson running the show, Melo may be drawn to "championship pedigree" of the two men leading the team.  However, Fisher is a rookie head coach, and Carmelo will have to decide if it is worth the risk of not having as much talent this year in order to have a chance to learn from such a basketball mind like Jackson's.  Everyone knows that the Knicks will not have much of a chance to make a deep run next season; however, rumors that Mr. James from South Beach may be drawn to New York if he opts out of his deal are beginning to swirl around.  Melo will again have to decide if he is willing to take such a risk for such a high reward if it pays off.  Not to mention, he can make more money if he signs with the Knicks than anywhere else, thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.

Chicago

What I believe to be the best choice for Anthony would be to move to the Windy City and the Chicago Bulls.  Everything about this move makes sense for everyone involved.  Carmelo is not an elite defender by any means, but he is underrated in my opinion.  When he decided he wanted to play solid defense, his strength and size allowed him to do so pretty damn well.  There were games when both Melo and J.R. Smith would put the effort in on defense, and the traps that they were pulling were scary good.  For Melo, it is a question of motivation; and if Tom Thibodeau can't motivate you to play defense, then Joakim Noah certainly will.  I believe that Melo fits best in Chicago, not only because it would take pressure off of Rose to score at the end of games, but also that Melo is the best rebounding small forward in the league (averaging over 9 per game).  The best defensive teams finish possessions; and with the best center in the league, along with Taj Gibson--who is a freak athlete for his size, and adding Melo to that mix makes it very hard to match up with the Bulls size-wise.  People say he will be drawn to L.A. because of the "history" involved; but Chicago is no slouch when it comes to historic figures in basketball.  Lets be honest, Brian Scalabrine never played for the Lakers, but he was a Bull.  I believe Melo is the final piece to the puzzle for the Chicago Bulls because while they are the best defensive team, they sometimes just can't score with the best of the eastern conference; but with the addition of one of the two best scoring forwards in the league, they will be pushed over the top.

Miami

You'd better not Melo.  I will not forgive you.  Where will you play? Power forward? With Bosh at Center?  Good luck defending anybody with a 7 footer.  Yeah, you guys will score a lot, but Wade is on his way out.  And Lebron dominates the ball at all times.  In Chicago or New York, the offense is run through you on the wing or in the post, where you are at your best.  This decision doesn't make sense unless the goal is to make the most unfair team for NBA 2k15.

Other Options

Dallas-Not a fan of this option.  Dirk is a Hall of Famer, and Monta is good in stretches; but is this really a huge upgrade from New York?

Lakers-Play with Kobe for two seasons.  Could be a great choice, or a horrible choice as well if it doesn't work out.

Orlando-This is a team that no one is talking about.  With the 4th pick in the upcoming draft, the Magic will pick up another elite young player to go along with Oladipo, Tobias Harris (who I think is goign to be a star in a few years), Mo Harkless from St. Johns, and Vucevic in the middle.  With a good point guard and an elite scorer (Melo), I believe that the Magic will be contenders for years to come.