Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James would be a basketball betting match made in heaven. For those who bet on the Miami Heat, that is; for the rest it would be pure hell. But even if the two do end up on the same team, there is no guarantee that it would be this year’s NBA Championship runner-ups. In fact, it has been revealed by his agent Rich Paul that James will exercise his contract’s early termination option. That doesn’t mean the Heat and LeBron are breaking up; it probably doesn’t even mean James is considering leaving. If anything, it is a wake-up call for Miami to offer him a restructured deal, and more importantly, spend more on an upgraded roster.
That is where Melo might come in. Anthony could be the missing piece in the Heat’s NBA betting championship puzzle, and provide a great reason for LeBron to stay put. While James is more than likely to stay put regardless, it is almost a given that Carmelo will leave the New York Knicks for greener pastures. In fact, here are the NBA betting odds on which team Melo will play his first game of the 2014-15 season:
· Chicago Bulls (2/5)
· Houston Rockets (15/2)
· Miami Heat (3/1)
· Los Angeles Lakers (15/1)
· Dallas Mavericks (15/1)
· Atlanta Hawks (20/1)
As we can see, Miami is in there but the Knicks aren’t, at least not in the top 6. As for James staying on the Heat’s rosters, here’s how it’s looking:
· Miami Heat (1/3)
· Cleveland Cavaliers (7/2)
· Chicago Bulls (13/2)
· Houston Rockets (3/2)
· Los Angeles Lakers (15/1)
As it turns out, Miami’s dream pairing could take place at Chicago, Houston, or even the Lakers. It may not be very probable but it certainly isn’t impossible. On a side note, there is also the chance that LeBron comes back to Cleveland, which makes one wonder what kind of reception he would get. It does stagger the imagination a bit to think of the King playing the role of the prodigal son, though.