Carmelo Anthony will return but the Knicks remain longshots to win the NBA Championship

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