Brad Cesmat
Carmelo Anthony landing with the Suns? Masahiro Tanaka in sedona red?
Two names in the sports world that are being connected to Phoenix as a possible landing destination. I have my preference, which we will get to a little later.
ESPN basketball analyst Bill Simmons sent Suns fans into a tizzy Saturday morning with a tweet suggesting that Phoenix made the most sense for Carmelo. This comes at a time when the Knicks and Clippers are reportedly discussing a Anthony trade for Blake Griffin.
Anthony could leave New York as a free agent this summer and the Knicks continue to be one of the most inept franchises in the NBA.
Melo is averaging 26 points and 8 rebounds per game. He would put butts in the thousands of empty seats at USAirways.
He would give the team a “face of the franchise”.
I think it would be a disaster to bring him here….
Then there is Tanaka.
I spoke about the Diamondbacks sincere interest in him back in early December. Nothing has changed other than a deadline of January 24th is now in place for bidding and a 20-million dollar posting fee.
FOX analyst Ken Rosenthal reported late Friday night that the Japanese sensation “remains the D-backs No. 1 target”.
The fact that the Diamondbacks remain in the hunt for Tanaka speaks to the teams commitment to add a true superstar to a roster that needs a jolt at the box office.
Even with the team being in contention in the NL West until mid-August and a All-Star first baseman in Paul Goldschmidt, the Dbacks attendance wasn’t anything special in 2013.
The team averaged 26,355 per home game last season(2.18 million fans) which was 22nd out of 30 teams. I don’t know if he would add thousands of fans in the stands on the nights that he would throw(Schilling and RJ pitched in front of sparse crowds)
Tanaka would have an impact on the business side in the way of jersey sales, TV ratings, and worldwide sponsorship opportunities.
At some point the Suns are going to need to have a true superstar or two in order to be a title contending team. While Melo brings a lot of buzz, I haven’t seen him win a title. I have seen a player that seems to care more about getting “his” than working as a true teammate. Just because someone can lead a league in scoring doesn’t mean that they are the right piece to get you over the top.
According to baseball people who’s opinions I trust. Tanaka would be a dominant force at the top of the Diamondbacks rotation. He’s only 25 years old, coming off a 24-0 record with a 1.27 ERA in 27 starts.
Give me Tanaka, stay clear of ‘Melo.
