The NBA recently announced that Carmelo Anthony will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. That has started a lot of discussions about his legacy and career. While Melo didn’t win an NBA title, he is a 10-time All-Star, six time All-NBA player, and won three gold medals for Team USA in the Olympics. Stephen A. Smith recently talked about Carmelo Anthony and his Hall Of Fame career.
Stephen A. Smith Tries to Rewrite Miami Heat History
A lot has been discussed about ‘The Heatles’, and how LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh came together in the 2010s. Their press conference with the “not one, not two, not three championships…” became legendary. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh managed to win two titles and make four NBA Finals appearances during their time together.
During the last episode of First Take, Stephen A Smith talked about how Anthony would have had a much different career if he joined the Heat. He said,
“It was supposed to be Melo, not Bosh in Miami. If Carmelo Anthony were in Miami instead of Chris Bosh, they don’t lose to Dallas at all. And they are going to win the other two chips that they won, which means instead of zero, the brother would have had three titles in my opinion. Yes, I feel that way.”
Carmelo Anthony vs. Chris Bosh
For argument’s sake, we have to take a look at Melo’s averages and Bosh’s averages. But before we do that, we have to note that Bosh was a third option on the Heat, while Carmelo was the first option in Denver and New York.
Maybe the best way to do it is to compare their 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Those were the two seasons before the Heatles, when both were entering their prime years and serving as the No.1 option.
Bosh averaged 22.7 points, 10 rebounds, 2.5 assists, almost a steal, and one block in 2008-09 on 48.7% shooting. He was an All-Star. The next year, he was even better, averaging 24 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and a block. He was an All-Star again but also finished 12th in MVP voting.
Melo averaged 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 2008-09, making the All-NBA Third Team. The next year, he averaged 28.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals, finishing sixth in MVP voting and making the All-NBA Second Team.
To put it simply, the Heat would have gotten a bit more offense with Melo, but less rebounding. In those two years, he shot 37.8% and 31.6% from three-point range. Bosh at the time rarely shot threes.
Carmelo Anthony Talks the Heatles
While Stephen A Smith might say that the plan was to get Carmelo Anthony in Miami, not Bosh, the former Nuggets forward talked about it last year. During a podcast with Paul George, Carmelo explained why he didn’t join the Heat. He said,
“At that time, I wasn’t ready to go partner and team up with nobody. Because I was building my own s–t in Denver. So to leave my own s–t and team up with somebody… it wouldn’t have worked, because we were all young and all going down our own path.”
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