Last Saturday Carmelo Anthony announced that he will stay with the Knicks. When LeBron James decided to return to Cleveland, the Cavaliers watched their odds to win the NBA Championship next season change to the point that now they’re the +350 favorites to win it all at America’s Bookie.
So the question that comes to mind is, what kind of impact re-signing Carmelo Anthony had on the Knicks’ odds? None, as they remain a longshot to win the NBA Championship at +5000. It’s safe to say that Carmelo Anthony would have had a bigger impact in a team’s odds if he would have signed with a title contender like the Bulls.
The Knicks won just 37 games last season and despite having Anthony back and adding Jose Calderon, they have not substantially improved and remain a bottom-tier playoff team, at best.
The problem with the Knicks is that there are many question marks with their current roster. Calderon is an upgrade at point guard over Raymond Felton but losing Tyson Chandler will hurt them on defense and his offense was improving when he was healthy.
Carmelo Anthony still needs a lot of help considering the injury issues of Amar’e Stoudemire, the inconsistency of Andrea Bargnani and J.R. Smith’s antics on and off the court. The team does have other talented players that could step up like Tim Hardaway Jr., Shane Larkin and rookies Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo but until that happens the Knicks will not be taken seriously.
Below are the complete odds to win the 2014/15 NBA Championship at America’s Bookie:
Atlanta Hawks +6500
Boston Celtics +10000
Brooklyn Nets +5000
Charlotte Hornets +5000
Chicago Bulls +850
Cleveland Cavaliers +350
Dallas Mavericks +4500
Denver Nuggets +6000
Detroit Pistons +20000
Golden State Warriors +2000
Houston Rockets +1100
Indiana Pacers +1750
Los Angeles Clippers +950
Los Angeles Lakers +8500
Memphis Grizzlies +4500
Miami Heat +4000
Milwaukee Bucks +30000
Minnesota Timberwolves +12500
New Orleans Pelicans +8500
New York Knicks +5000
Oklahoma City Thunder +500
Orlando Magic +17500
Philadelphia 76ers +35000
Phoenix Suns +7000
Portland Trail Blazers +3500
Sacramento Kings +25000
San Antonio Spurs +400
Toronto Raptors +5000
Utah Jazz +20000
Washington Wizards +3500
