Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: 10 Teams That Need Melo To Beat the Heat
The Miami Heat have been on a tear over the last couple of weeks.
Aside from a two-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks and a nail-biting comeback win over the Washington Wizards, the Heat have been disposing of the opposition with little resistance. Their 9.7 point margin of victory is tops in the league and they're finally starting to look like the team we imagined in preseason.
There are a number of teams out there that are missing one final piece that could propel them into the league's elite.
Of all the team's that could potentially bid for Carmelo Anthony's services, which would require his presence in order to topple the Heat?
Atlanta Hawks
1 of 10
The Atlanta Hawks are already in a big financial hole with the money they committed to Joe Johnson. If they're that determined to be successful, the team's window of opportunity is small.
Joe Johnson only has a few more seasons left before we see a steep decline and bringing in Carmelo Anthony now would make the Atlanta Hawks a dangerous team.
They could use a true point guard more than anything else, but Anthony would still present a huge upgrade for the team.
Marvin Williams isn't a bust per say, but he sure has been a colossal disappointment. Anthony could take over at small forward and handle the primary scoring duties with Johnson complementing him and Josh Smith and Al Horford cleaning up down low.
Chicago Bulls
2 of 10
As great as the Chicago Bulls are, they still need a reliable closer along the wing to battle against the likes of the Heat.
Luol Deng is a solid player, but he's far from being a dominant scorer and he's not the most reliable option down the stretch. He's average at drawing fouls and far worse when he actually gets to the line.
If Derrick Rose or Carlos Boozer are off, Deng appears to disappear just the same.
Deng's defense is pivotal when the team needs to try and stop Dwyane Wade or LeBron James, but Ronnie Brewer is more than capable of taking on that role.
Anthony alone could more than make up for the glaring hole at the Bulls two-guard slot.
Indiana Pacers
3 of 10
The Indiana Pacers have been one of the surprise teams this season. They fall just short of a .500 record, but they're currently in the playoff picture with the seventh best record in the Eastern Conference.
Indiana thoroughly manhandled the Miami Heat in South Beach, but that was a different team. Dwyane Wade was battling through an injury and the team was out of sorts.
With the Heat back on track to make a dominant run to the top of the East, chances are, the Pacers would stand little chance of beating them now.
The Pacers do have a great small forward in Danny Granger, but he alone is not enough on offense. If they slid one of the two over to the four, or even made Granger the team's starting two-guard, they would be close to matching Wade and LeBron James in the scoring department.
They're already great on defense with Roy Hibbert manning the middle and they really just need another scoring option to propel them to becoming one of the better teams in the league.
Milwaukee Bucks
4 of 10
The Milwaukee Bucks made a surprising run to the playoffs last season and they nearly made it out of the second round.
However, the team has fallen short of expectations thus far and Brandon Jennings injury only makes their future look even cloudier this season.
The Bucks have a group of above-average scorers, but they all fall short of being in that elite category by a wide margin.
Adding Carmelo Anthony into the mix give the Bucks a formidable "big three". He can allow Jennings to focus more on orchestrating the offense and relieve him of scoring duties.
Andrew Bogut is also more than capable of picking up Anthony's defensive dearth.
New Orleans Hornets
5 of 10
The New Orleans Hornets started out the season on a tear, but they've faltered considerably after their strong opening run.
New Orleans won by three when the two teams met up early in the season, but Miami won in convincing fashion in their next outing by 12 points.
The Hornets don't have many reliable options to turn to for scoring and their defense can only take them so far.
Trevor Ariza has been a mess in New Orleans and he's the team's most inefficient and unreliable scorer. Carmelo Anthony would be a massive improvement at the three and he could pair with Chris Paul to make for a dominant duo.
New York Knicks
6 of 10
While I'm convinced that Carmelo Anthony is not the savior for the Knicks, he would undoubtedly make the Knicks a better team. He could go as far as to propel the Knicks into the league's elite, albeit near the bottom of that pile.
In the Knicks December 17 matchup with the Heat, the team battled to a 57-57 tie in the first half. However, the Heat steamrolled the Knicks in the second half.
The Knicks are back, but they're not ready to go toe-to-toe with the Heat in a seven game playoff series.
A top notch center is more vital to the team at this juncture, but adding another 25-plus point scorer certainly couldn't hurt. He could relieve the scoring burden off of Amar'e Stoudemire's shoulders, and the two would make for a dangerous scoring tandem.
Orlando Magic
7 of 10
The Orlando Magic have plenty of scoring options after they brought in Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas, but none that are near Anthony's level.
The team's No. 1 scoring option is in a constant state of flux and Anthony would immediately remedy that. He can give the team the scoring punch needed to take down a team like the Miami Heat.
Dwight Howard can pick up the slack for Anthony's middling defense and they could make for a powerful combination that would make them arguably the most dangerous team in the entire league.
Portland Trail Blazers
8 of 10
Portland is no longer a dark horse team in the Western Conference. Brandon Roy's declining health and the team's general lack of cohesion puts them in a tenuous situation.
LaMarcus Aldridge is a very good power forward, but he falls out of the top tier of players for his position. He can be a consistent scoring option, but rarely a dominant one.
The team is well coached, they play solid defense and they're stacked with talented players. However, with Roy's career in jeopardy, the team no longer has a go-to scorer.
Wesley Matthews has been a revelation for the team, but he's not quite there.
Anthony can immediately step into the role and fill in the void left by Roy.
Phoenix Suns
9 of 10
Even though the Phoenix Suns traded away their top scorer in Jason Richardson, they may have actually improved the team with their latest trade.
They rid themselves of Hedo Turkoglu and his crippling contract while adding a very good center in Marcin Gortat and two wing players more than capable of making up for the loss of Ricahrdson.
If Carmelo Anthony somehow found his way to Phoenix, Steve Nash would have a dominant scorer back in the mix after Amar'e Stoudemire bolted for New York.
If Vince Carter can find his legs through the miraculous work of Phoenix's top-notch medical staff, he could form a one-two punch with Anthony that could nearly match up with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
Utah Jazz
10 of 10
The Utah Jazz have split the regular season series with the Miami Heat tied at 1-1 apiece. The first game came down to the wire with Paul Millsap channeling his inner Reggie Miller to force overtime and an eventual victory.
However, their second meeting resulted in a much different outcome with a refocused Heat cruising to a 13 point victory.
The Jazz have arguably the best point guard in the NBA along with one of the best front-courts. However, they seriously lack at shooting guard and small forward.
Teams rarely get to the promised land without a strong wing player and it would be no different for the Utah Jazz.
Anthony gives the team a go-to scorer down the stretch and makes the Jazz one of the most potent offensive attacks in the league.
