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[av_heading heading=’ FEEL THE GAME BOBBY MOTUS Superstar exodus’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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FOR many seasons, the Eastern Conference had been lagging behind their Western counterparts talent-wise. Not only do stars get aligned along the Pacific coast, their supporting cast can very well be starters on the lesser blessed teams on the Atlantic side.
Consider the recent transfer of New York’s supposed savior Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks acquired him from Denver in 2011 with the hope of bringing back lost glory to a tradition-rich and economically profitable franchise, and who was responsible in their playoff run for two consecutive seasons. Injuries hampered Melo recently and with a much publicized conflict with then GM Phil Jackson, the distressed liberator requested for a trade.
Long story short, the 10-time All-Star, four-time Olympian and three-time Olympic gold medalist is now teammates with Russell Westbrook and Paul George, and the trio will together roll in the thunder for Oklahoma City.
As a great isolation shooter, he will thrive in OKC. Melo moves well without the ball and can practically launch those shots from anywhere. With George as the other wing, Westbrook will have fun directing traffic and finding either of his two terrific wings.
Kevin Durant’s flight to the Bay Area left a big void in OKC but with new residents George and Melo, a much louder and resounding thunder clap will be heard from Oklahoma in the days to come. And yes, at least four Western Conference teams will be making life uncomfortable for the Warriors.
On the other side of the fence, a ball dominant player will never agree to a bench role. Melo had been a starter all his basketball life and with it come the accompanying status, the requisite swag. If Coach Billy Donovan decides to stick to the tested starting unit, it could complicate things.
Melo coming off the bench will bruise his ego. Used to the adulation and being the de facto franchise image of his previous team, a big adjustment from his end will be made and I think it will be a long and hard journey to transition. The second unit will not suit him and he will sulk and whine if Donovan makes Melo as their sixth man.
Another all-star is set to change zip codes as soon as waivers will be cleared. Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls had agreed to part ways in a “purely basketball decision.” The Bulls are on a rebuild mode and they opted to let go of Wade and his nearly $24-million contract rather than let him stay and play on a struggling team. But unlike Melo, D-Wade had been aware of his limitations and would be content in a support role. He won’t be going West but will staying put East-side.
Reportedly, they had come to terms with Cleveland. LeBron James and Melo had voiced their eagerness to have D-Wade as their teammate but Bron will have that bromance rekindled. Wade had been instrumental in bringing LeBron to Miami where they went to the NBA Finals four times and won the title twice. And it was reported that Bron was aggressively lobbying for Wade to join the Cavs and said that he would love to play again with him.
The Cavs now had added another high-profile transferee to their line-up and on paper, they had become a ridiculously strong team. With Isaiah Thomas nursing a hip injury until January, Cleveland still has enough firepower in Bron, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, and now D-Wade, who has dramatically improved his shot for his fourth NBA title.
The balance of power still tilts heavily to the West that only Cleveland and Boston, barring injuries and unexpected player movements, will dominate the East. The Cavs are now the heavy favorites to rule the EC and when all roads lead to another Finals meeting with Golden State. When that happens sometime in June of next year, we could just call it an NBA All-Star final./PN
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