NBA Free Agency: If LeBron James Stays, Could Carmelo Anthony Join Him in 2011?

When the news first broke this morning about Chris Bosh teaming up with Dwyane Wade in Miami, my mind instantly turned to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I thought back to just 24 hours ago when the Toronto Raptors were ready to sign and trade Mr. Bosh across the border to my beloved town dubbed the "Mistake on the Lake".

For the first time in a long time, I actually felt confident that LeBron would be returning to Cleveland, and would have a legitimate No. 2 guy with which to bring my city a championship for the first time since 1964.

What a difference 24 hours can make.

Bosh said he doesn't want to play in Cleveland, and now he will be performing on a South Beach near you!

Now that sickening feeling of another Cleveland sports star leaving is beginning to take over, and I am really wondering if LeBron is going to go create the super team in Miami with Wade and Bosh.

But let's pretend for a second that the sickening feeling isn't there, and that LeBron James will announce to the world, and more importantly the city of Cleveland, that he is returning to finish what he started.

Now that the sickening feeling is gone (for the sake of argument), my mind has turned to another problem.

Who can the Cleveland Cavaliers bring to Cleveland to give LeBron a real No. 2 option?

Now that Bosh is off the market, Amar'e took the money and ran to New York, and Benedict Carlos Boozer is signing with the Bulls, it doesn't leave a lot of options for this summer.

If the Cavaliers can pull off a deal with the Hornets for Chris Paul, LeBron's best friend, the city of Cleveland would rejoice for their first pure distributing point guard since Andre Miller left town.

But if Paul isn't available, there is one name I want you to watch on the market for next season.

Carmelo Anthony.

I understand that the Denver Nuggets have stated they will not trade 'Melo, and that the whole world thinks that the New York Knicks are the natural front-runner because of his college basketball ties to the state.

But for arguments sake, hear me out. In the words of the little kid from the movie Angels in the Outfield , "It could happen."

It could happen because the Cavaliers have some enticing options for Carmelo Anthony, and possibly the Denver Nuggets, if they change their mind on not trading him.

So let's take a look at a few reasons why I think 'Melo could become a Cleveland Cavalier in 2011.

Dan Gilbert

I know it's not often that an owner has a big impact on a player's decision to come to an organization, but Dan Gilbert is Anthony's type of owner.

Gilbert is not afraid to spend any amount of money to win a championship in the city of Cleveland. This is evident if you view his luxury tax bill over the past few seasons.

He will not stop at anything to acquire the right fit for LeBron James to win a championship with, as is evident if you look at the list of trades over the past couple of years.

And he is not afraid to shake things up on a winning team if he feels it doesn't have what it takes to win it all. 

This can be seen by the firing of Mike Brown after back to back 60 win seasons, and parting ways with Danny Ferry.

Dan Gilbert is the type of owner any player would like to play for, regardless of the city the team is in.

LeBron James

If you go back and watch the Gold Medal Olympic team, it was the LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony show.

Those two were at their best when they played together on that team.

Many people think that they can't play together because they both play the same position, but this is not true.

LeBron is one of the most versatile players in the league, and would be able to play at shooting guard and allow Carmelo Anthony to join him and play small forward.

A combination of those two would be much more deadly than the Wade-Bosh duo on South Beach.

Trade Assets

If LeBron James re-signs with Cleveland, it will be on the books for $55 million in salary next season—and that's not including any players they sign for the mid-level exception, bi-annual exception, etc.

So needless to say, signing Carmelo Anthony straight up is not an option for the Cavaliers.

So that means they have two options.

The first would be to try and work out a sign and trade with Denver.

They have a very good power forward to offer in J.J. Hickson, Antawn Jamison's contract that expires after the 2011-2012 season, Jamario Moon's expiring 2011-2012 contract, and anything else they want.

While Denver has said it doesn't want to trade Melo, the chance to get some players and cap relief in return could be enticing.

Or the Cavaliers could try and move Antawn Jamison and Jamario Moon during this season for expiring contracts in order to have cap space for next summer.

A Championship Chance

Teaming up with LeBron in Cleveland would give Carmelo his best chance of winning a championship while he is in the NBA.

Let's face it, playing in the Western Conference with an aging supporting cast in Chauncey Billups, NeNe, and Kenyon Martin isn't going to get him any closer to winning a title.

If the Cavaliers can get Carmelo to Cleveland alongside LeBron, it not only would make them the immediate favorites in the East, but it would allow the Cavs to add another major piece the following year because of contracts coming off the books.

The Reality

The reality of the situation is that it will be very difficult to get Carmelo to Cleveland without the cooperation of the Denver Nuggets.

The Cavaliers have their cap locked up this year and next year if they re-sign LeBron James tomorrow, and would not be able to offer Carmelo Anthony a max contract without pulling a rabbit out of their hat.

Also, as we have seen with Chris Bosh, Cleveland is not the most enticing place for NBA Superstar free agents.

The chances of Carmelo Anthony playing with LeBron James in 2011 in Cleveland are very slim.

But like I said earlier, "It could happen."