Why Carmelo Anthony Should Remain with the New York Knicks After This Season

With his team getting off to a sluggish 14-22 start and free agency looming, New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is at a crossroads in his career.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old Anthony always wanted to play for New York.  Born in New York City, he played college ball at Syracuse, bringing the school its only national championship in 2003.

In 2011, Anthony’s wish was granted, as he was traded to the Knicks from the Denver Nuggets.  

Suddenly, the Knicks had potential to return to greatness.  Anthony has led his team to the playoffs in all three seasons that he has been a member of the Knicks.

Now, New York sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.  

Anthony could opt to take an offer from a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, whom Marc Berman of the New York Post reports Anthony’s interested in.  

According to Berman, Anthony wants to be on a winning team while also playing in a big market.

While the Lakers would offer great incentive for Anthony to sign with them, New York is where he claimed he wanted to be.  

Despite the awful start, things are slowly starting to come back together for the Knicks, who are only 4.5 games out of first place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.  

Anthony has been the one constant this season for the Knicks, averaging 26.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.  He has been the face of this franchise since the day he joined the Knicks, so it would be in his best interest to remain with this team and try to win in New York.  

New York is currently enjoying a four-game winning streak, and it is due in large part to the ball distribution that was simply lacking in the beginning of the season.  

Never was it more evident this season than on Thursday night when Raymond Felton dished out 14 assists to propel the Knicks to a huge victory over the Miami Heat.    

With Tyson Chandler back, the Knicks also have a big man present under the basket.

These are all key factors that are necessary in order for the Knicks to be successful.  

While Anthony almost always takes control of the game, he needs his teammates to keep producing like they have been.

So, now it is time for Anthony to put his foot on the pedal and refuse to let up.  

With continued production from his teammates and one or two additions in free agency, Carmelo can take the Knicks from average to stellar next season.  

While it will almost certainly take a lucrative offer from the Knicks for Anthony to re-sign in the offseason, he would be wise to accept that offer and remain a New York Knick.

Nevertheless, we will see how much New York means to Anthony when this season is over.  

Statistics courtesy of NBA.com.