The longer the biggest names in free agency wait to make their respective decisions, the more time we have to speculate on the reasons we haven’t yet heard about their choices.
A new scenario has been floated where Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James are concerned, and it seems to be rooted more in guesswork than it is in reality. But since that’s never stopped us before, let’s proceed.
The latest rumblings out of Miami are that Chris Bosh has had direct discussions with the Houston Rockets, and has been offered a four-year max contract if in fact he chooses to leave Miami in free agency. It’s believed to be a contingency plan for Bosh, considering that he has said many times and continues to maintain that his preference is to return to the Heat, as long as LeBron does the same.
Anthony was reportedly weighing his decision, with the Lakers, Knicks and Bulls all believed to be still in the running. It was also reported that we could have heard from him on Monday, but the day came and went without a word from Anthony or his representatives. And the reason, it’s being speculated, ties into that offer that Bosh received from the Rockets.
From Marc Stein of ESPN.com:
Popular question raised by last five teams I’ve talked to: Is Melo holding out in hopes Bosh goes to Houston so he can join LeBron in Miami?
And from Marc Berman of the New York Post:
The Knicks expected Carmelo Anthony’s decision by Monday, but heard only crickets. A growing belief within the organization is Anthony is waiting to make sure there is no possible way of hooking up with LeBron James in Miami or Los Angeles.While Anthony monitors the South Beach drama, James is expected to meet with Heat president PatRiley — as soon as Tuesday. The Post has reported the Big 4 scenario was virtually impossible, but if power forward Chris Bosh is wowed by the money in Texas, either Dallas or Houston, that could open a spot for a new Big 3 of James, Anthony and Dwyane Wade splitting the remaining cap space.
It’s out there, and teams are discussing it. But it’s purely speculative, and there are even further leaps being taken by those who feel that LeBron may be intentionally jerking Bosh around in hopes he does leave, which would create a slot to add Anthony as his replacement.
The one thing that tends to get lost this time of year is that players, you know, talk to each other. Just because it hasn’t been reported on doesn’t mean that LeBron, Wade and Bosh haven’t had any conversations beyond their initial formal meeting to hash out the financial details of their future contacts in Miami. The point being, it’s highly unlikely that LeBron’s teammates remain as in the dark about everything as the rest of us.
All of this seems fairly far-fetched, mainly because Bosh, again, wants to stay in Miami if LeBron returns as expected. But if he should leave, it’s at least possible that Anthony would want to keep his options open to slide into his spot.
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