Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: Why the Philadelphia 76ers Need to Get Him
Last week, Carmelo Anthony trade rumors were spreading like wildfire projecting the superstar to go anywhere from New Jersey to Los Angeles. One team that was apparently hot in the chase was the Philadelphia 76ers.
Th 76ers are not a good team. In the 2009-10 season, Philadelphia fought its way towards 27 wins, good for 13th best in the Eastern Conference, just one game in front of the lowly Washington Wizards.
Perhaps the biggest problem facing the 76ers: Philadelphia didn't do much to improve this summer.
There were the acquisitions of Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes, neither of whom are particularly special basketball players. The 76ers also drafted Evan Turner with the second overall pick, but as of now, coach Doug Collins has Thaddeus Young starting over the former Ohio State Buckeye.
The 76ers have an excellent young core. Jrue Holliday and Louis Williams have looked like they could develop into strong point guards. In the frontcourt, Spencer Hawes, Mareese Speights, and Thaddeus Young have demonstrated potential to be useful contributors to a team.
While the 76ers have some young talent, their proven players are simply not enough to compete with the likes of the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, or even the Chicago Bulls. A general manager's job is to build a championship contender, not just a playoff contender.
To become a championship contender, a team absolutely needs a superstar who is going to take over during crunch time.
Look at recent championship winners.
Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, and Tim Duncan were all top five players in the NBA at the time they won their respective championships. While one player cannot win it by himself, teams still need that one superstar.
That is why the Philadelphia 76ers need Carmelo Anthony.
Getting Anthony will not all of a sudden vault the 76ers into the favorite position for an NBA title. There are too many stronger teams that are better than a Philadelphia team with Carmelo Anthony. However, without Anthony, Philadelphia won't even be in the competition.
Andre Iguodala is not a superstar. Elton Brand is not a superstar. The 76ers have not had a superstar since Allen Iverson left Philadelphia. Turner has not performed up to expectations this summer and does not look like the franchise savior that Philadelphia hoped he would be when the club drafted him at No. 2.
The price for Anthony would not be too high for the 76ers. Most likely it would involve Iguodala and a draft pick or one of their prospects. A Philadelphia team built around Anthony could potentially develop in order to challenge Miami, Orlando, and Boston in future years.
There are only so few superstars that emerge in the NBA, and as a result only a few teams are title contenders every year. Over the last few years, the NBA has emerged as quite top-heavy with a few teams dominating the rest of the field.
If the 76ers want to get to the top, they need a superstar. That superstar is not Iguodala. It is not Holiday. It is not Turner.
That superstar is Anthony.
