Bill Simmons, the founding father of Grantland, tweeted that Carmelo Anthony was a legitimate possibility to join the team, setting the stage for endless speculation on how this might actually come to pass.
This came after a major pitch meeting Thursday in Los Angeles where top Lakers officials made “a strong impression” on Melo, per Ramona Shelburne and Chris Broussard of ESPN.
Even the idea of the best player in basketball coming on board began to pick up heat, as according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Lakers executives Mitch Kupchak and Tim Harris made a pilgrimage to Cleveland to meet with LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul:
Just as they feel relatively more optimistic about securing Anthony than before their meeting, the Lakers likely believe a meeting with Paul could then ensure a personal meeting with James. Then, the Lakers could sell their vision to James about collaborating together to win more championships.
And if you’re a Lakers fan, that’s what you want to hear: Major superstars are on the road to the land of purple and gold, and sign every last one of them no matter how you have to stretch and pinch and sacrifice the almighty dollar. Just somehow make it happen!
It drove every narrative. The rumors threatened to engulf basketball’s very existence.
For one holiday weekend, the Lakers were golden again. Their own resident top free agent, Pau Gasol, was also intrinsically linked to the larger dreams of packaging stars as he was pitched to James and Anthony as one of team’s major assets—the other being reigning franchise cornerstone Kobe Bryant.
But what if none of this actually comes to pass?
What if the celebrato...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
