Pros and cons of bringing Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City

Imagine Carmelo Anthony in an OKC Thunder jersey. Excited? Afraid? Or a little bit of both? Trust me you aren’t alone…

Out of the stars that could potentially change teams this offseason, Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin are easily the most polarizing players. While teams are likely to stay away from Blake because of his unfortunate injury history, Carmelo has hurt himself because of his own doing.

Melo’s tenure in New York has turned the public’s opinion from a lovable and unstoppable scorer to a narcissistic yet diminishing talent. And he deserves every bit of the criticism.

So why would the Oklahoma City Thunder – a team built on the foundation of high character and selflessness – want a player like Carmelo? That’s what we are here to figure out.

Ironically enough, Carmelo’s biggest pluses also can be his worst enemies on and off the court. For that reason we will alternate pros and cons, hoping that a final decision will rise from this debate.

Pro – Carmelo Anthony is a fantastic one-on-one scorer

Duh. In the Houston series Oklahoma City only had one player who could create a shot for themselves. Russell Westbrook desperately needs somebody who can score on their own in order to lighten his load on the offensive end. Victor Oladipo was supposed to be that secondary option, but his lack of a go-to move inhibits his ability to score in isolation. Bring in Melo and the OKC Thunder instantly add one of the best pure wing scorers in the league.

Con – Carmelo Anthony loves being a one-on-one scorer

The main reason why Carmelo has fallen out of favor in New York is his unwillingness to spread the ball out to his teammates. The Knicks are blessed with a rare NBA Unicorn in Kristaps Porzingis, but the isolation-heavy Anthony stunts Porzingis’ growth as an all-around player. The Thunder already severely lack off-ball movement and bringing on Melo would likely make it even worse.

Pro – Melo’s trade value is at an all-time low

When a team President comes out and states that a player doesn’t have a future in the organization even though he is still under contract, chances are that player won’t be returning. When Phil Jackson said this it immediately lowered Melo’s asking price by at least 30-40%. NBA GM’s can point to that for ammunition; we all know Sam Presti’s history with fleecing insane GMs. Phil wants the Triangle and the Thunder have the perfect piece for that system in Enes Kanter to make the Zen man start salivating.

Con – Melo’s trade value is at an all-time low

There’s a reason Phil wants Melo gone. Even though he was an All-Star this season by averaging over 22 points a game, he isn’t the type of player that makes others around him better. New York wants to rebuild, and a player like Carmelo isn’t the type of locker room presence you want when setting a new culture. With the Thunder’s bounty of youngins, bringing in Melo could create the same sort of tension we are seeing now in New York.

Pro – Melo has never come close to an NBA title

When freshman Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to an NCAA Championship it immediately sealed him as a basketball legend. That success hasn’t translated to the professional ranks though. Melo turns 33 this month yet he has only been to one conference championship in his career. A move to Oklahoma City would give him the partner-in-crime he never had in Russell Westbrook plus the perfect fit for a supporting cast.

Con – Melo has never come close to an NBA title

Are we sure Carmelo really wants/needs to win a title to be content? When he forced the Knicks to trade for him even though he was an upcoming free agent, Melo showed his hand to the world; he prefers more money over a chance to win a title. Carmelo is a free agent after next season and with the Thunder’s precarious cap situation it would be nearly impossible for them to match offers from other teams.

Ultimately this debate comes down to your own personal feelings about Carmelo and whether or not he would make a change to his playing style.

Do you think he could handle being second fiddle to Westbrook? There’s a chance being the “Second Guy” on a team would free up his offensive game like never before. Or do you think that the two egomaniacs would blow up at each other within the first couple of weeks?

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I tend to favor the “Pros” side of the Melo-debate. I hate talking about player’s personal lives, but it genuinely matters in this case. Right after Phil Jackson made his now-infamous comments it was reported that Anthony and his wife La La Anthony were in talks to get a divorce. Sadly Carmelo’s life seems to be crumbling as much as it can for someone making over $20 million a year to play basketball.

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That’s where the Oklahoma City Thunder step in. The organization that prides themselves on sheltering their players and creating a family-like atmosphere is exactly what Melo needs. He needs to get away from the crazy New York tabloids and get to a city where players decide what questions get asked at press conferences. With the Thunder he can defer to Westbrook as the team leader, allowing him to focus purely on basketball.

What Carmelo Anthony needs and what Carmelo Anthony wants are two completely different things though.

I can’t tell you what is going on inside his brain. But what I can tell you is that if Melo is truly dedicated to turning around his career, the Oklahoma City Thunder is the perfect organization to make that happen.