Potential Contenders in the Eastern Conference Next Season

[NCHeels2008]

if the pacers can get a ring chasing vet to take a discount and strengthen their bench, that could go a long way

Who can the Pacers get which is better than Scola and Turner (they will lose both next season). The Pacers' best shot was this season. Now that Lance will be taking major capspace and with Hibbert/George on max contracts, Pacers will have a very big problem in improving their roster.

I can't see a ring chaser who could turn that around.

what have scola and turner done to make you think they're valuable contributors?

[Jvaughn]

Knicks with Melo re-signing and Phil's additions.
Knicks were a 54 win team last year with the right veterans running the team (Jason Kidd, Wallace, etc.)

After the Knicks sign Melo they won't be able to sign anyone else. Having Phil doesn't change that. And they have no real trade chips, so that team will be exactly what it was this past year.

[Cliff Levingston]

A dream offseason for the Bulls is about the only thing that challenges the Heat. That means:

- Rose comes back 100% and regains his superstar form (which is as much of a concern as) and doesn't get hurt again
- Melo comes via S&T that doesn't include Gibson

A core of Rose, Melo, Gibson and Noah would be really tough for Miami to deal with. That lineup can lock down the paint defensively, clean the boards, run the floor, defend the pick and roll, and between Rose and Melo, figures to be able to score well too.

[illiance]

Only team with any shot is the Bulls with Melo and Rose playing at his pre-injury form. No other team can get good enough by next year to beat Miami.

Even if the Wizards somehow got Kevin Love for instance, would anybody consider them equal to Miami? The only possibility is with Chicago. If Melo goes back to New York, you can giftwrap the East to Miami again.

[ag3]

Knicks with Melo re-signing and Phil's additions.
Knicks were a 54 win team last year with the right veterans running the team (Jason Kidd, Wallace, etc.)

After the Knicks sign Melo they won't be able to sign anyone else. Having Phil doesn't change that. And they have no real trade chips, so that team will be exactly what it was this past year.

Disagree strongly. Knicks can use their MMLE and Veteran's exceptions to sign 3 point shooters.
With any other coach, the Knicks would have been a 45+ win team this year.
With Melo, a new coach, and a few minor additions, the Knicks, IMO, will be back to what they were in 2012-2013.

Not to mention, Phil also has the option to trade several expiring deals.

It all obviously hedges on what Carmelo Anthony will do (I believe he will re-sign with the Knicks and for a slight discount). With him, I would bet heavy money the Knicks are a 2-4 seed next season.

[ag3]

Knicks with Melo re-signing and Phil's additions.
Knicks were a 54 win team last year with the right veterans running the team (Jason Kidd, Wallace, etc.)

After the Knicks sign Melo they won't be able to sign anyone else. Having Phil doesn't change that. And they have no real trade chips, so that team will be exactly what it was this past year.

Disagree strongly. Knicks can use their MMLE and Veteran's exceptions to sign 3 point shooters.
With any other coach, the Knicks would have been a 45+ win team this year.
With Melo, a new coach, and a few minor additions, the Knicks, IMO, will be back to what they were in 2012-2013.

Not to mention, Phil also has the option to trade several expiring deals.

It all obviously hedges on what Carmelo Anthony will do (I believe he will re-sign with the Knicks and for a slight discount). With him, I would bet heavy money the Knicks are a 2-4 seed next season.

Not to mention that Amare, Chandler and others are in their CONTRACT seasons. Amare showed this year that he can stay healthy. I can see Amare having a very good season next season. Not only because of health but also contract season.

[Jvaughn]

Knicks with Melo re-signing and Phil's additions.
Knicks were a 54 win team last year with the right veterans running the team (Jason Kidd, Wallace, etc.)

After the Knicks sign Melo they won't be able to sign anyone else. Having Phil doesn't change that. And they have no real trade chips, so that team will be exactly what it was this past year.

Disagree strongly. Knicks can use their MMLE and Veteran's exceptions to sign 3 point shooters.

3pt shooting isn't where NY is lacking. And if they're depending on a lot of players taking pay cuts to want to join them, they'll be lottery bound without picks again.

With any other coach, the Knicks would have been a 45+ win team this year.

Not really. Coaching was a problem, but only one of them. There are a ton of holes on that team. PG and bench are huge ones.

Not to mention, Phil also has the option to trade several expiring deals.

Just having expiring deals doesn't guarantee success. They're expiring deals aren't exactly highly coveted unless they're willing to take back bad contracts like Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings.

Additionally I'm not sure why people are putting so much faith in Phil's ability at GM. Being a good coach doesn't mean you'll be good at running a team behind the scenes. He's already have trouble getting a coach to come there.

Seems like his goal is to coach from the sky box. Only targeting coaches that will utilize the triangle and run the team the way he would. Not seeing how that's going to make them so much better. I'd be much more optimistic if he was the actual coach.

It all obviously hedges on what Carmelo Anthony will do (I believe he will re-sign with the Knicks and for a slight discount). With him, I would bet heavy money the Knicks are a 2-4 seed next season.

Even if Melo takes a discount, they still won't have any cap space to make any additions until next year. And I'd wager my house that the Knicks won't have HCA next year. They're much closer to the lottery again. With no huge roster changes there's no way they go from 9/10 place to 2-4.

[kodo]

Bulls with Melo would have no chance against Miami.

Who is gonna score on that team besides Melo? It would be the 2011 Bulls all over again.

Unless Derrick Rose gets back to form (and he hasn't in 3 years), theyre not gonna do much.

Nobody in the East can really touch the Heat right now. Now with Lebron improving, Wade's resurgence, and Bosh.

Bulls squad tied w/ Miami this season's series 2-2.
With DJ Augustin as our lead scorer. Let that sink in for a moment.

DJ Augustin & Mike Dunleavy will be replaced by Rose & Melo, I don't know how that doesn't turn out to be a anything other than a massive upgrade on offense.

[AlexCRO]

$45M divided by 4 = $11.25M

that's how

Lebron/Melo will each give up $10M PER? Do you believe that? Wade is going to five up that much money at the end of his career? Doesn't he have another kid now? Bosh is going to give up that much?

I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing it as even a remote possibility. You can replace Bosh or Wade with Melo, but I can't see how it's even technically possible to get these 4 guys together.

You don't think LeBron can make ten times the max in endorsements? His salary is peanuts compared to his endorsements. If Melo joins them in Miami, that team is unbeatable. You have to think Carmelo at least considers it. It's not like he can't make money elsewhere. Think of all of the endorsements that would come with Carmelo joining that team. Later in life, he can write the book on Miami's Big Four dominating the NBA.

Let me explain as good as i can... IT IS POSIBLE that the main thing...

The heat have only norris cole ( rookie scale contract ) and udonis haslem ( player option ) on their payroll... now chalmers is most probably gone wich means cole will be the starting pg... ray allen, birdman, haslem, oden, toney douglas will come back on veteran minimum deals as bench players...

Now IF AND THATS A BIG IF all 4 of them take 12 million dollars a year they can join forces... now to be honest bosh is a 12 mill guy ( wantss to stay and already sad he would take a paycut to benefit the team )... Wade is in the range of 12-14 million a year in my opinion... but he will take a paycut one more time cmon the guy is a heat simbol and will work in the organization once he retires plus he signed that crazy li ning 10 year deal with a huge pricetag and a stake in the li ning ownership so he has pleanty of money and i meen plenty...
Now Lebron ... he is a max player but if you followed closely lebron thru his carrer and melo also they are really brothers alongside eachother ( and i will add wade ) and lebron makes 50 MILL a year by endorsment, so his salary is peanuts for his endorsments deals with sprite, nike, etc., if you ask lebron or wade to take a paycut to bring melo i bet they dont think a second... now Melo makes alot of profit on endorsments to ( jordan deal etc. ) and this time around the guy wants to win you can see it by his body language, his interviews this year, he was about money but not anymore... now you are kidding yourself if you think this is not seriously considered by all sides ( melo,wade,lebron,riley ), they are not stupid, they know they can form one of the greatest teams ever that would roll the nba over like the bulls did it maybe even further... this is in the works since the london olypic games, and melo knows this is too great of a chance to pass...people are stupid to think this would not work, i meen are you kidding me you add the purest scorer in the nba ( yes he is in my opinio even beyond durant ) to an already all time great team... i meen are you kidding me... ofcourse it would work look at the olympics melo dominated for a reason... his best arsenal is spot up and iso on the block with a midrange jumper exactly whats missing for the heat... they are all great friends since day one... it would work and you can bet riley and lebron will call him and gauge his interest... the nba would allow that to happen of course they would with tv ratings sky high, a bump in the media and endorsment profit, the league is starving for those jordan and bulls runs espacially now after the sterling fiasco. all in all i consider there is a 50 percent chance of that happening and this is basicly all on melo... if he says yes i am willing to do that, sacrifase money and spotlight and win and win big then yes it will happen.

[Cliff Levingston]

Bulls squad tied w/ Miami this season's series 2-2.
With DJ Augustin as our lead scorer. Let that sink in for a moment.

Regular season. The Bulls have a winning record over the Heat during the regular season since 2011 and that hasn't meant anything.

DJ Augustin & Mike Dunleavy will be replaced by Rose & Melo, I don't know how that doesn't turn out to be a anything other than a massive upgrade on offense.

Will be replaced by Melo? We're in the conversation for Melo which is pretty cool but it's far from a certainty that we'll get him, let alone get him without suffering huge losses elsewhere on the roster that'll take a year or two to fill with quality role players.

[dho4ever]

Bulls with Melo would have no chance against Miami.

Who is gonna score on that team besides Melo? It would be the 2011 Bulls all over again.

Unless Derrick Rose gets back to form (and he hasn't in 3 years), theyre not gonna do much.

Nobody in the East can really touch the Heat right now. Now with Lebron improving, Wade's resurgence, and Bosh.

Bulls squad tied w/ Miami this season's series 2-2.
With DJ Augustin as our lead scorer. Let that sink in for a moment.

DJ Augustin & Mike Dunleavy will be replaced by Rose & Melo, I don't know how that doesn't turn out to be a anything other than a massive upgrade on offense.

Regular Season. Let that sink in for a moment.

[Hans Embiid]

Don't fool yourself

If Bulls sign Melo and Rose gets back to his old form Bulls are the team to beat.

[ATLHawksfan21]

Don't fool yourself

If Bulls sign Melo and Rose gets back to his old form Bulls are the team to beat.

That's about the biggest IF I have ever seen though. Does Melo really want to put his hopes on Rose's knees after having to deal with Amare's knees in NYK. I wouldn't think so.

[WhatsaTDot]

I'll still take Lebron, Wade, & Bosh over fat Melo, broken Rose, Noah and Gibson (who has no business even being mentioned with all of these other players).

[daschysta]

Indy apparently died.

But really PG improves a ton every year and has a great work ethic, and has already shown long stretches of superstar play. He'll become more consistent. It also isn't remotely a fact that they will lose Lance. Hibbert is still only 28. West is older, but hasn't really shown much decline and doesn't rely on athleticism.


The bench is already a non factor, losing a a guy or two there isn't really that big of a deal when they are already liabilities. Plus cope is solid wheb given a chance and may deliver with more minutes next year if Scola is gone.

[basketballwacko2]

Are there any besides Miami? I'm starting to think Melo going to the Bulls would be not only good for him, but good for the league as a whole. Good for the league because watching Miami coast through the regular season and playoffs, especially when Indiana was suppose to be the team to give them a challenge and all of a sudden the team just collapses mid season, sucks.

If you add in Melo's offense to the defense they got over in Chicago, that could be an interesting team that could pose a challenge. Pacers will have Lance heading into free agency, Paul George's contract jumping up to 10 million higher, West turning 34. I only see them getting worse. Melo with the Bulls is the only hope I see on the horizon.

[basketballwacko2]

The Celtics with Rondo and Love.

When did they get him?

[JayMKE]

The team with LeBron

/end

This.

Nobody is touching Miami.

[jc23]

The team with LeBron

/end

This.

Nobody is touching Miami.

they have been touched every year since he got there, just havent been tackled unconscious since 2011. Lets not pretend like they have run through these playoffs ala the 01' lakers or 96' Bulls. There have been plenty of close calls.

[Rerisen]

people have been picking the bulls to be better than the heat every year (except last year when rose didn't play at all) since the big 3 got together. They haven't come close to beating the heat yet

Derrick Rose hasn't played in the playoffs for the last 3 years, except for the 1 game he tore his ACL.

A Rose team lost to the Heat at 22 years old, when nobody picked the Bulls to even get to the ECF or even come close to the best record that they had. Most had them around 4th seed that year. While Miami was getting predicted to win 70. And the team has never gotten a healthy chance again since.