At this point it’s pure speculation, but the basketball world has to ask itself the question, “What if Carmelo Anthony was a Laker?”
The buzz about Anthony going to the Knicks has now switched gears since it was reported that the Denver Nuggets were in preliminary talks with the Lakers concerning Anthony.
What would that look like? Pippen and Jordan come to mind. No offers have been made, but names like Andrew Bynum and Odom have been thrown around, but again, at this point there’s no deal on the table.
But let’s get back to the original question. What if Carmelo Anthony became a Laker? It’s a scary thought for the Western Conference, because let’s face it, on size alone, the Lakers would be incredibly difficult to beat. Adding Anthony to the Lakers doesn’t just give the Lakers another one of the top 5 players in the league, but it gives them another player that can put up 30 points on any given night.
But would there be enough ball to go around? Right now, Kobe Bryant takes on average around 20 shots per game, Pau Gasol takes almost 14 shots per game, and Anthony takes about 19. Something is going to have to give. Sacrifices would have to be made.
It’s the same questions the Miami Heat faced at the beginning of the season with their trio of all-stars. While the jury is still out on that team, with Heat in second place in the East and winners of their last six, at this point it’s fairly safe to say that experiment is working out just fine.
If this trade goes down, the Lakers should be the favorites to win the NBA championship this year, and for years to come.
