Knicks Have Failed Carmelo Anthony Way More Than Melo Let Down New York
For the better part of five years, blame for the state of the New York Knicks could be doled out equally, and haphazardly, between Carmelo Anthony and the franchise itself.
Those days are now over—unequivocally and irreversibly.
Games that should mean something, like New York's Thursday night matchup against the Chicago Bulls, don't. The Knicks remain in the lurch—bad enough to miss the playoffs, not young enough to truly start over.
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And as they continue to slip further away from the ultimate goal of sustained NBA relevance, the ending to this marriage with Anthony, whatever it amounts to, is now entirely their load to bear.
Anthony's Absolution
Did Anthony force his way to the Knicks in 2011 ahead of free agency, costing valuable assets that set the team back years? Yes.
Could those same assets have been used to acquire Chris Paul in addition to Anthony, had the latter simply waited to sign in New York? Absolutely.
| Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 unprotected first-round pick (Dario Saric), two second-round picks, the right to swap first-round picks in 2016 and cash to Denver; Eddy Curry’s expiring contract, Anthony Randolph and cash to Minnesota | Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and a 2012 first-round pick (Austin Rivers) |
But New York didn't have to meet the Denver Nuggets' asking price. Then-general manager Donnie Walsh knew the Knicks were essentially bidding against themselves and originally dangled Wilson Chandler, Eddy Curry's expiring contract and Anthony Randolph.
Sure, Carmelo is at fault for prioritizing money over a roster brimming with assets—his right as a player and brand. The Knicks, though, are responsible for bowing to the appeal of a star they didn't already employ, as they'd done many times before and still do now.
And yet, even if Anthony is mostly to blame for his arrival, New York has still had the last five years to climb out of its hole.
It's the Knicks, not Anthony, who decided amnestying Chauncey Billups and acquiring Tyson Chandler was more pressing than preserving flexibility for future free agencies. It's the Knicks, not Anthony, who opted to give up a first-round pick for draft bust Andrea Bargnani. And it's the Knicks, not Anthony, who have failed to install the right coach, supporting cast or system on a consistent basis.
Parts of the coaching conundrum can indeed be traced back to Carmelo though. He never meshed with Mike D'Antoni, who tried using Anthony as a point forward, as a distributor, rather than just a scorer. Had Anthony been more willing to adapt his play style, maybe that relationship doesn't end in a smoldering heap of disappointment and unanswered questions.
That doesn't explain what's happened since D'Antoni's departure in 2012. The Knicks have cycled through Mike Woodson and Derek Fisher and, assuming team president Phil Jackson wants to win basketball games in the near future, they'll move on from interim head coach Kurt Rambis over the summer.
"In five years as a Knick," Bleacher Report's Howard Beck wrote, Anthony has played with 70 teammates, for four head coaches and four heads of basketball operations."
There is, likewise, no explanation for New York wasting the best versions of Anthony the NBA has enjoyed.
He embraced working off the ball in 2012-13 only to have the second-seeded Knicks get bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers, and he damn near carried a listless squad to the postseason in 2013-14 while playing a similar style.
Last season, playing injured, he turned a ragtag mix of flyers and stopgaps into a half-decent offensive unit before undergoing knee surgery after the All-Star break.
The 2015-16 rendition of Anthony, meanwhile, is being criminally wasted.
| With Anthony | 102.5 (14) | 110.5 (1) | 106.8 (9) | 105.1 (10) | 104.8 (8) |
| Without Anthony | 99.9 (23) | 105.3 (9) | 101.3 (23) | 92.7 (31) | 97.8 (29) |
Despite rampant instability pervading New York's locker room, he has never been more selfless. His shooting percentages and player efficiency rating are down, but his assist percentage is at an all-time high, and he leads the Knicks in points, rebounds and dimes per game. He's also averaging more potential assists (eight) than Paul George (7.7).
"The game Anthony is playing right now, a healthier mix of scoring and playmaking, is—dare we say—almost LeBron-like," Beck declared. "And if he had more talent around him, both the assist and win totals might be higher."
Anthony has even developed a rapport with rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis. Jose Calderon, an actual point guard, is the only player who has assisted on more of the newbie's buckets, and the 7'3" 20-year-old will reflexively admit he cannot envision playing without his superstar mentor.
"Obviously I wouldn't want to lose him," Porzingis said in February, per ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk. "He is who he is on our team. He's very special. And we need him to do big things in the future, especially for me. I love playing alongside him, so that would obviously not be something that I want."
Though it's taken a while—too long, perhaps—Anthony has changed. He took slightly less in his latest contract to stay in New York, albeit with the caveat of a no-trade clause. He has adopted a new, team-friendly play style amid unchecked losing. He is more of a leader, even if he's an imperfect one.
New York's Predicament
The Knicks have made no such headway as an organization.
Jackson has not steadied the franchise in any way. The team lacks assets outside of Anthony and Porzingis, and Jackson now faces a pivotal coaching search that will determine whether his New York tenure can evade insolvency.
Through it all, Anthony's future remains a contentious issue. He turns 32 in May, and his prime will never come close to intertwining with peak Porzingis.
Some within the organization believe he will eventually waive his no-trade clause, according to ESPN.com's Ian Begley. He has, per Begley, made it clear the Knicks must make a splash in free agency, creating a sense of urgency that countervails the patience needed to appropriately rebuild.
League executives told the New York Post's Fred Kerber the Knicks can realistically fetch a starter and first-round pick for his services. This assumes, of course, Anthony approves such a deal. He already rebuffed the Boston Celtics' interest at the deadline, according to Begley.
Any potential destinations that will intrigue Anthony won't be of similar interest to the Knicks. They aren't getting Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers (unless coach and president Doc Rivers loses his mind), and the Cleveland Cavaliers would be foolish to dump a 27-year-old Kevin Love if LeBron James convinces Anthony to join him in Ohio. The Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets can piece together somewhat respectable offers, but their collective descent into fringe lottery territory might dissuade Anthony's approval.
The time to trade Anthony, then, has already passed. If the Knicks were going to move ahead without him, they should have dealt him ahead of free agency in 2014 or, at the very least, refused to grant him a no-trade clause.
Thus, Anthony remains an integral part of the team's foundation and future. And Jackson, per Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal, knows it:
This makes the Knicks' approach that much more troubling. They understand Anthony is with them for the long haul but have yet to officially make him part of the rebuilding process.
While New York kept in contact with Anthony during free-agency pursuits over the offseason, he wasn't present for any meetings. He heavily recruited LaMarcus Aldridge, now of the San Antonio Spurs, only to find out the Knicks cancelled the sit-down.
Neglecting to seat Anthony at the free-agent table is a gross misuse of resources. He wanted to be there last year and has once again, per Begley, expressed a desire to spearhead talks this summer. And as Stefan Bondy wrote for the New York Daily News, the Knicks, despite what Jackson and crew might believe, need him:
"Phil Jackson can throw his rings on the negotiating table, gift wrap a signed copy of his book about said rings, and it doesn’t mitigate the other factors: New York is cold in the winter with high taxes, a demanding market and, MOST importantly, an ugly history of losing basketball. The fact that three NBA players were shot, stabbed and injured by police, respectively, outside of New York clubs over the last year doesn’t assist the recruiting pitch.
Which is why we should appreciate Carmelo Anthony. And why he deserves better from a franchise that is throwing the remaining years of his prime into a triangle-shaped shredder. Like with Patrick Ewing, you’ll miss him when he’s gone.
"
Fans and pundits are kidding themselves if they think free agency is only important to the Knicks' rebuild because of Anthony's closing window. Jackson is 70, more than two years into a half-decade pact and, per ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne, feels the same sense of urgency to fix the Knicks as his superstar cornerstone.
Carmelo Anthony: Officially a Victim
Knowing all this, while also knowing it takes talent to get talent in free agency (Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, etc.), the Knicks' inability—or refusal—to adequately capitalize on Anthony's clout is an inexcusable failure.
By no stretch is Anthony perfect, and Porzingis' emergence does change things. But the statute of criticism for the former's part in New York's demise has expired.
It was rooted in circumstances that no longer matter—what it cost to obtain him and his play style. He changed; the Knicks have not. And for them to have a hope of changing, in the way Jackson's own timeline demands they change, they need him.
So as the meaningless games continue to rack up and New York weighs the possibility of accommodating Anthony against pushing forth without him, the burden of redemption no longer lies with the player.
This partnership, once mired in mutual faults and foibles, is now the Knicks' to rescue or ruin.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and accurate leading into games on March 24.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @danfavale.
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