Why Carmelo Anthony Should Favor Cleveland Over Houston

Why Carmelo Anthony should favor Cleveland over Houston

Aug 21, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; USA forward Carmelo Anthony (15) and USA guard Kyrie Irving (10) pose for a picture after winning the gold medal in the men's basketball gold medal match during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: David E. Klutho-USA TODAY Sports /

3 of 4

Feb 4, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) hugs Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) prior to their game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Better chemistry

Carmelo considers LeBron to be a dear friend, and the two have expressed a desire for wanting to play on the same team.

Carmelo on playing with LeBron, Dwyane Wade & Chris Paul: "“I’ll take a pay cut if it happens. I think we all would have to take a pay cut.”
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) March 24, 2016

While Chris Paul’s name is also in that group, Melo’s ties to players on the Cavs run deeper. Anthony won a gold medal with Kyrie Irving in Rio last summer; he also won one with James, Love and Deron Williams in 2012. In addition, he’s played with J.R. Smith in both Denver and New York, as well as Iman Shumpert during his time with the Knicks.

Because of the time that he’s spent with several members of the Cavaliers, meshing with the locker room and general team atmosphere should be relatively easy for Carmelo to do. If Melo can integrate seamlessly with what the Cavs are already doing, he should be a natural fit in Cleveland.