Former All-Star Carmelo Anthony is still without a team, and from the looks of it, it's unlikely that he'll have one at the start of next season. There have been countless discussions and debates as to what he needs to do or where he should play next, but aside from pure speculations, no one can really decipher Melo, so everything really looks uncertain about his career.
Now, a lot of people blame his ego as one of the main reasons why he's still not signed. One could argue that if he just accepted the fact that he's no longer a franchise player, things would've been different for him. But, it is what it is. Melo is who he is now because of the decisions he made.
Speaking of what-ifs and decisions, one of the biggest stories about Melo recently is something that actually never happened. According to reports, he was supposed to be the third member of the Miami Heat Big Three, as he would've teamed up with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade back in 2010. Eventually, it was Chris Bosh who made his way to South Beach, and as most people say, the rest is history.
In a recent episode of ESPN's First Take, Melo admitted that immaturity prevented him from forming a superteam with LeBron and Wade, but he was talking about this from a business standpoint. Now, I'm pretty sure you have an idea where this is going to end up, but I'll still address the elephant in the room.
What if Melo actually ended up with Bron and D-Wade with the Heat? Is it possible that things worked out better than what actually turned out? I mean, we all know that the James-Wade-Bosh trio led Miami to four straight NBA Finals appearances, winning two titles in the process.
If Anthony was in there instead of Bosh, would they have won more?
I'll be straightforward. Judging from what happened in Anthony's career, I'd say him joining the Heat would've been a disaster.
Why?
Well first off, Melo wasn't willing to take a pay cut and at that time, he was still in his prime. If you consider the fact that he's not willing to accept a lesser role now that his best years are behind him, imagine what could've been his mentality back then?
Article Continues BelowAnthony wouldn't have accepted the fact that the Heat was LeBron's team. That would've eaten him alive and the dynasty that Miami was building would've been over before it could even start.
Yes, I know. Melo was still one of the best players in the league in 2010, but that was also the same year that James started to really take the league by storm. But while LeBron would've preferred a team-first approach, Carmelo would have wanted the offense to revolve around him, and that would've resulted in a clash of egos between the two megastars.
Bosh was the perfect fit for the Heat back then. He knew that he was going to be the third option on the team, and he accepted it wholeheartedly. Melo wouldn't have even gotten a decent sleep, knowing that he's playing behind James.
My prediction, had the Heat landed Anthony instead of Bosh, they would've still lost the first year to the Dallas Mavericks, then beat Oklahoma City Thunder in the following season, then Anthony would've requested for a trade, knowing that he's not the best player in Miami.
Sorry, but not even teaming up with LeBron, whose known to make his teammates better, would've saved Melo from himself.
We've seen what he did to the Thunder back in 2017, and with the Houston Rockets last season. Things would've been worse for him and the Heat had they joined forces in 2010.