The Endless Chase for LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony May Prove to be Costly for Prospected Teams

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Carmelo Anthony has already had a huge week, visiting Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and back to New York in the course of three days. Anthony has been reportedly offered two huge max contracts from the Lakers at a whopping four year, $97 million offer while the Knicks is willing to dish out $129 million for the veteran small forward.

Chicago and Houston had warmly welcomed Anthony by pre-printing huge posters and billboards with his huge mug and a photo-shopped jersey of the respective teams, leading to a nice introduction and set up for the Bulls and a rather awkward one for the Rockets (given the fact that Anthony's number seven had not changed in the image which created a rather insulting and strange situation involving Jeremy Lin who is currently sporting the number).

The Lakers used the glam and glory of the history of the franchise and brought up promising endorsements and opportunities that comes with the whole Hollywood image. Although Kobe Bryant did not make it to the meeting, Jeanie Buss, her brother, Jim Buss, manager Mitch Kupchak, three-time NBA champion and Laker great James Worthy, and a couple of Los Angeles based business owners.

Nevertheless, Anthony's name has appeared quite often this week and I personally think that these teams are riding on quite a slippery-slope by pursuing the score-first forward. Anthony is extremely skilled on the offensive end and he has proven in the past few years that his scoring capabilities are only getting better and better. However, his Achilles Heel is one that can effect any team for the worst: simply put, Anthony does not like playing defense.

If any of you have watched the Knicks for the last two years, you will notice that Anthony loves to play man-to-man Matador defense. It seems as though anyone can score over the thirty year old guard or drive past him with ease. It is not that Anthony is a horrible defender, he just does not like playing it. Do not even get me started on his perimeter defense. Think I am exaggerating, perhaps a bit, but take a look at the following videos and see for yourself:

In addition, Melo has not been capable of being a solid leader for the teams that he has played for. As a member of the Denver Nuggets, Melo was never really the type of player that could get his team past the first or second round of the playoffs. When many believed that this would soon change when he moved to New York, many fans were rather upset.

Last season Anthony was simply on fire. He had multiple scoring games where he managed to put up numbers in the 40 to 50 range; at one point, he even got up to 62. However, this did not ultimately change the outcome of the season for the franchise as they failed to reach the post season.

I am not say that Anthony is overrated since he has proved to be one of the most elite scorers of the league but I believe that his overall contributions for a team, at both ends of the floor, could not be overlooked either. He has plenty of time to grow and develop but his attitude and maturity must carry through and I am not sure if he is the type of player that can learn to embrace the hard work mentality on the defensive end nor do I think he has the voice to be a solid leader.

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In the case of James, I think that he is just a player that is really too good to be true. James's agent, Rich Paul, has reportedly already met up with the Rockets, Mavs, Suns, and Cavs in his hometown in Cleveland. Kupchak is scheduled to make the trip to Cleveland to meet with Paul after today's meeting with Anthony.

James is really at the top of his game right now and can instantly help any team he decides to go to become a championship caliber team. He is simply that good on both the offensive and defensive end, let alone his passing capabilities. However, the actual possibility of any team, other than the Heat, obtaining the four-time MVP is highly unlikely. I do not think that Houston nor the Mavs have enough cap space to afford to lure James in and though convincing, I do not think that James will land back in Cleveland either. If the Lakers pull off the unexpected and sign Anthony, there will not be much to offer to James. The Suns do not have much on their team to appeal to the 29 year old small forward.

The way I see it, James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh have opted out of their contracts solely for the point of renegotiating their "terms" so to speak. In other words, the big three have worked hard for the past years and they likely feel as though they deserve a little more than what has been given to them, hence the latest ($90 million) asking price that Bosh has come up with. If James does leave, it is likely that Bosh and Wade will split as well but given the core that these three players have developed over their runs, it is unlikely that they will all disband so early.

As a Laker fan, I am a bit biased in that I only hope that the franchise will consider the pros and cons of what they are actively pursuing. If they truly want to land Anthony or James, they must consider the chemistry that these players will have with the face of the franchise in Kobe Bryant as well as build around a core by filling in the rest of the rosters will players that can effectively complement the team. The starting five cannot do all the work so I hope that the organization will put in the same type of effort to get solid players that may not be making headlines as of late but will help the team in the long run.