Carmelo Anthony To Orlando: Could This Deal Work for the Magic?

The Orlando Magic defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-86 Wednesday night in a game that illustrated how good they have the potential to be when coach Stan Van Gundy's offense is firing on all cylinders.

However, their recent game against the Miami Heat resides on the other end of the spectrum, and it provides a good example of why defeating Boston or Miami in the postseason could be an impossible task.

Miami defeated the Magic 96-70 in that contest, and to be honest the game ended the moment Vince Carter was injured in the first half and did not return.

Even if Carter would have been able to continue there is no guarantee he could have made a difference, but a close game quickly turned into a Miami blow-out shortly after he departed.

Unfortunately, the Magic will likely find themselves in that situation often against the NBA's elite teams because Van Gundy's system has a fatal flaw that was exposed against the Heat.

Orlando's offense is based on placing center Dwight Howard in the post and surrounding him with perimeter scorers.

In most cases it's a successful strategy because Howard is the most dominant interior presence in the league, and when the opposition chooses to double team him it creates scoring opportunities from the perimeter.

But what happens when the shots stop falling?

If the Magic are having trouble hitting shots from the perimeter they are forced to rely on Carter or point guard Jameer Nelson to create offense off the dribble. Unfortunately, outside of those two players no one else on the roster excels at getting their own shots.

When Carter went down against Miami it left Nelson as the only player capable of creating scoring opportunities with his penetration, and with the Magic's shots not falling defending Howard became a little easier.

Heat players LeBron James and Dwyane Wade excel at help defense, but Carter's ability to put the ball on the floor helped keep whomever was guarding him from cheating towards the middle.

With Carter out, both Wade and James were able to provide help in the post since they had little concern that anyone else could hurt them from the perimeter.

Orlando will continue to face this dilemma unless they make a personnel change, and if pursuing a title is the goal, why not chase Carmelo Anthony?

Anthony has made it known that he no longer wishes to play in Denver, and a trade to Orlando would not only bolster the Magic's title chances, it would likely make them the front-runners in the East.

Anthony has a perimeter-based game, but he also has the ability to mix it up inside, and his versatility would be a perfect complement to Howard's dominant inside game.

Anthony's presence would draw attention away from Howard in the paint, and his ability to create his own offense off the dribble could carry the Magic when their shots are not falling from the perimeter.

In order to make a deal like this work Orlando would likely have to part with Carter and possibly forward Rashard Lewis, but the rewards definitely out-weigh the loss of either player.

Carter is aging and Lewis' game is one-dimensional, so there is a chance Denver would not be interested in either player, but the Magic have other attractive pieces they could offer.

Marcin Gortat could provide inside help for the interior-challenged Nuggets, and Ryan Anderson would provide Denver with another big, versatile option as well.

Anthony's preferred choices are rumored to be New York or New Jersey, but would he pass on the opportunity to play with the most dominant big man in the NBA?

Playing in the Big Apple would be nice for Anthony, but Orlando gives him a chance to compete for a championship immediately, and it would likely vault the Magic ahead of Miami and Boston in the East.