Carmelo to Chicago Bulls Chatter Dominates twitter After Knicks Loss in Miami

Carmelo Anthony vs. Lebron James. On national television. And at the end of the first half, Melo outdueled a masked Lebron and was on pace to go for 48 points and 12 rebs.

If you hadn't heard that Lebron had a broken nose, you would have thought that he was covering his face because Melo was embarassing him.

Melo dominated his matchup with Lebron until the Knicks defense inevitably failed.

Melo was matching Lebron play for play, bucket for bucket.

Then in the 3rd quarter, Melo had everything going on Lebron, including defense. On a drive to the basket, Melo manned up on Lebron, rode him to the basket, and turned away Lebron's lay-up into the stands. Take that all you Melo-haters who say he can't play defense!

However, it was the Knicks defense that inevitably failed, as the Miami Heat went on a 23-3 run that put away the fightless Knicks, and Anthony finished with 29 points and 7 rebounds.

The post-game talk and twitter chatter all centered around the near-certainty of Melo leaving the Knicks at the end of this season. Case in point:

One of many twitter posts that mentioned Carmelo going to the Chicago Bulls (Melo sure looks good in Bulls Red).

Miami Heat bandwagoners took to twitter to beg for Melo to take a HUGE pay cut to join Lebron, but when I watch Melo and Lebron compete, I see the kind of competitive spirit that will keep the NBA from becoming Heavyweight Boxing or worse, the WWE.

A quick look at the Eastern Conference playoff picture will show you the results of the Miami Heat team up.

Three Eastern Conference teams will probably make the playoffs with a record of less than .500. Only the top 2 teams (Indiana and Miami) would make the playoffs in the Western Conference.

This is because Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh were each on different Eastern Conference teams. This made for more competitive games and more superstar match-ups.

The Melo vs. Lebron match-up is incredibly interesting to watch, but until Melo gets to a team that surrounds him with a well-coached team that complements his talents, that match-up between Melo and Lebron will never take on the magnitude of the premier superstar match-ups, like Magic vs. Bird.

And this is why the greatest thing that could possibly happen this summer is for Carmelo Anthony to sign with Chicago.

The premier Jordan-brand superstar must go to his bosses old team, and a trio of Melo, Rose, and Noah can face Miami's James, Wade, and Bosh four times in the regular season and then battle it out in the Eastern Conference Finals to mega TV-ratings.

Melo will still enjoy a huge international market for advertising and other deals and opportunities (the same market that made Derrick Rose's jersey the best seller worldwide, more than Lebron's, the season after Rose claimed the MVP).

But most importantly, Chicago's team is a perfect fit for Carmelo. It is a team concept with a strong coach, winning culture, and a focus on rebounding and defense. Melo will not be expected to be the distributor, that role belonging to a returning healthy Rose or possibly D.J. Augustin.

Watching Melo, I see a player that relishes the challenge of playing against Lebron, a player that doesn't escape that challenge by joining forces with them.

I see a player that is sincere when he says he will take less than a max contract in order to play for Championships.

I see a player that relishes being the man to put the team on his back and take the last second shot.

In Melo, I see a player with more in common with Jordan than with Lebron.

What do you think about the prospect of the Chicago Bulls acquiring Carmelo Anthony this summer? Tell us what you think in the comments below!