I know what you’re thinking. Tom Thibodeau and Carmelo Anthony would mix about as well as nails in milk. How could the ultimate defensive coach deal with a completely offensive player? Thibs wouldn’t need playing time to grind Melo’s bones into dust, as Jeff Morton likes to say about the 1950’s style coach. But Melo is exactly what Chicago needs.
It’s the obvious move and I’m obviously not the first to point it out, but it would be fun to see our old friend (or foe) team up with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and whomever else Chicago can keep (Doug McDermott anyone!). The last two seasons, Chicago has had offensive ratings of just 103.5 and 102.5 (estimate of points produced or scored per 100 possessions), respectively. With Rose back in the lineup, those numbers should increase a bit and if Melo were to come aboard, they could easily challenge for the Eastern Conference.
Carmelo's best season in Denver came during the 2008-09 season, when, funny enough, his scoring numbers dipped to just 22.8 points per game (his lowest since his second season in the league). His shots per game dipped a bit too at just 18.3 per game (also his lowest since the 2004-05 season). That season also saw Melo put up 3.4 assists per game, his third highest output of his career. There was something different about his game – he was more of a two-way player that shared the ball and it helped lead his team to the Western Conference Finals.
A lot of folks will tell you that Chauncey Billups had a lot to do with Melo falling into more of a team atmosphere and I wouldn’t disagree with that. The Bulls have a similar setup from the coach to the players, they are a great team and Melo could help take them to the next step.
The #Bulls are going hard, check out the United Center pic.twitter.com/PUllbU0lUK
— Raj Sharan (@Raj_Sharan) July 1, 2014
Meanwhile, all is still quiet on the Nuggets front. Denver does not have the Bi-Annual Exception to spend this season as Nate Robinson was signed using the BAE last season. The Nuggets do have the Mid-Level Exception to spend, but with team salary around $73 million, I’m not expecting too many rumors to fly around Denver.
