If LeBron signs in Cleveland, How Could the Rest of the FA Dominoes Fall?
Apr 6, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (center) stands between Miami Heat center Chris Bosh (left) and Miami Heat forward LeBron James (right) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Miami won 102-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Bosh – Houston Rockets
If James is gone, there’s really nothing left in Miami for Bosh. He’s already been flirting with the Rockets, and according to reliable and confirmed sources, they’ve offered him a max deal. So a team with two superstars already BUT with a roster that’s a machine, not a couple of spare parts, is offering you a full max deal. Where else could you want to play now? And not just that, but this team allows you to showcase your talent more, improve your stats, be more appreciated and save years to your career. Bosh right now is stuck being the only, and because of that main, big guy on the Heat. He’s responsible for protecting the rim and making sure the lane isn’t used as the town bicycle. This leads to a decent amount of collisions and while Bosh might have the veritcalness of a big guy, he doesn’t have the body build to take the collisions like a Shaq or even a Dwight Howard. Here Dwight will take that responsibility on D and even be the down low presence on offense allowing Chris Bosh to play outside of the paint more, a place where he’s dramatically improved and is now a solid 3 point and spot shooter. And as I said earlier, this already a solid team. Even with Jeremy Lin being traded (the price to get Bosh the max), you’ve got Patrick Beverly at the point, All-Star James Harden at the 2, Chandler Parsons at 3 (but only if Bosh signs soon, otherwise the Rockets will have to match Parsons’ deal and forget about Bosh or let Parsons walk- Does anyone think Chris Bosh has the cojones to sign elsewhere before LeBron efficiently showing LeBron into Cleveland even if he was still considering Miami?….. Yeah me neither), Bosh at power and Howard anchoring at center. That team would come into the playoffs, as Miley Cyrus would say, like a wrecking ball. This is Bosh’s best option and if I were him, I would take this right now.
Carmelo Anthony – New York Knicks
Why Melo isn’t seriously looking at the Chicago Bulls is beyond me? I don’t get it. Put him on that team and Bulls – Cavs playoff matchups would be some of the greatest to ever watch. Melo vs LeBron. Irving vs Derrick Rose. Joakim Noah vs Varejao. That would be outstanding. Out of all the options he’s supposedly considering, Knicks and L.A. Lakers, the Bulls are the team built now and in the future. No team he’s on is going to get a lottery pick. He’s solid enough to keep the team in the playoffs. I don’t know how he thinks any of these teams are going to build back up soon. Here’s the following big players available for unrestricted free agency next year. Rajon Rondo, Brook Lopez (player option), Roy Hibbert (player option), David West (player option), DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Thaddeus Young (ETO) and potentially Kevin Love. The big players for the Knicks are Amare Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani and (player option) J.R. Smith, giving them a chance to build fresh. A few of those players I don’t see leaving in Aldridge, Gasol, Jordan and probably Kevin Love (as I don’t see a team trading for him unless he signs a new longer contract and I don’t see the Wolves not trading him-and I really don’t see the Knicks offering enough to the Wolves. Curious side note, if Kevin Love is traded to Cleveland does Melo take a step back and re-evaluate how tough that Cleveland team is going to be and start to seriously consider Chicago again?). Maybe they’re offering to make their own big 3 with Anthony, and let’s say Rondo (though seeing him leave for nothing in free agency under Danny Ainge would shock me) and Brook Lopez (seeing the aging Nets not have enough to keep him happy). But would a POSSIBLE core of Rondo, Anthony and Lopez be better than a DEFINITE core of Rose, Anthony, Noah with a foundation below in Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Ronnie Brewer? Maybe the bright lights, hometown draw and excitement to play under Phil Jackson is what’s keeping him. But it’s hard to say the Bulls aren’t the better option. I think if it comes down to Knicks and Lakers, he’s staying in New York. It’s closer than I first imagine though. L.A. is definitely intriguing with a starting 5 next year of Steve Nash (Kendall Marshall as the back up plan), Kobe Bryant, Melo, Julius Randle and (if Anthony signed I definitely think he’s back) Pau Gasol. Solid team, but with Kobe and Nash’s health and the dangers of the Western Conference, is worth the gamble? This could be Kobe and Nash’s last season leaving you with Marshall, Randle and Gasol. Not bad but not enough in the Western Conference. Yes being apart of the the huge history in L.A. would be great, but making history in your hometown with Phil Jackson seems more up Melo’s alley. That plus he’s THE star in New York, not a star in L.A.
Dwyane Wade – Chicago Bulls
LeBron is in Cleveland and Bosh is in Houston. Melo isn’t coming to save you. The best free agents still available are Luol Deng, Pau Gasol, Lance Stephenson and Trevor Ariza. Even if you got all of them, which you’re not, this isn’t a championship team. It’s time for you to figure out where you stand in your career. You have 3 championships and your prime (thanks to your body) is probably over. You can either sit on the Heat, giving everything you have to a 6th seeded Eastern Conference team where you’ll constantly be battling injuries and carry all the pressure to lead your team OR you can accept a Manu Ginobili role on a championship caliber team in your hometown (where you flirted with in 2010). Here in Chicago your team will be in the championship chase every year, you’ll play with one of the best players in the league (Rose-people forget how good this guy is. His resume looks like this. 1st year-Rookie of the Year. 2nd-All-Star. 3rd-MVP-youngest ever player to win and fewest seasons), you won’t be carrying all the pressure, and you’ll keep your body fresh for the valuable meaningful minutes you play. You’ll have a chance to increase that 3 championships and further your legacy in your hometown. What better way to finish your career? No one will blame you in Miami and you’ll be just as loved as you were before you left. You brought them 3 championships, you left everything on the court, you brought them LeBron James and Chris Bosh, and you only left when you could no longer carry the team. This also works out well for Miami. Everyone knows in the NBA you don’t want to be in the middle. You either want to be at the top chasing titles or at the bottom chasing ping-pong balls so you can get back to the top. With Wade they have 3 first round exits (maybe sneak one series win) and never get into the lottery. Here they have a chance to rebuild and Wade has a shot of bringing a championship to his hometown, increasing his legacy, production and health.
Those are my thoughts on how free agency falls. Where do you think everyone ends up?