Why Carmelo Anthony Has Dark-Horse Shot at NBA MVP This Season
If Carmelo Anthony ever wants to permanently carve his name into basketball history—and be viewed as great for years to come—he’ll need to bulk up his resume.
Anthony has always been a stat-sheet stud. As a pro for 11 seasons, Melo has never averaged less than 20 points in a given year. He’s played in seven All-Star games and captured the scoring crown in 2012-13. He set the New York Knicks' single-game scoring record with 62 last season.
Outside of Kevin Durant, Melo is the best individual scorer in the NBA.
But for all the points and highlights he’s accumulated, Anthony has yet to create any sort of lasting legacy.
Barring a trade, the Knicks will have Anthony’s services for at least three years beyond 2014-15. So, in all likelihood, a title for Anthony is out of the question.
That’s why winning an MVP is so important for Melo’s legacy. Even if he doesn't ever raise a championship banner, he could join Karl Malone, Steve Nash and Charles Barkley—all MVP winners void of a 'chip—as one of the greats.
And this season, under Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson, Anthony has a better chance than ever before.
The Impact of the Triangle
Let’s not make the triangle offense out to be something it’s not.
For all the glamor that surrounds it, the triangle is a system that involves a lot of passing, motion and open looks.
Just like every other good offense in the world.
But the triangle—the legendary, fabled triangle—seems to have taken on a persona much greater than itself. Yes, Jackson won 11 titles with the offense, but it’s not a magic formula.
Jeff Van Gundy hit it right on the head. Here’s what the former coach and current ESPN analyst said about the Knicks’ new offense, per Marc Berman of the New York Post:
"The triangle itself is just an offense based on freedom of the ball to go to different places, everybody feeling involved...It’s a good thing. It won’t be the triangle itself that will be the reason they win or lose. It’s going to come down to Carmelo Anthony playing exceptionally well. [Iman] Shumpert and J.R. bouncing back with a big year. J.R. Smith playing well. It’s not going to be because of a system.
I think anybody confusing a system with a reason for success is making a huge mistake. Systems don’t win games. Players do. All you try to do in any system you incorporate is put players in their areas of strength and try to hide and minimize their weaknesses. The triangle for [Scottie] Pippen and [Michael] Jordan with a lot of shooting around them was tremendous system. Same with [Kobe] Bryant and [Shaquille] O’Neal. Then [Pau] Gasol and Bryant. It can work and other systems would’ve worked and they would’ve won it.
"
Through New York’s first two regular-season games, we’ve seen that despite the new offense Fisher is running under Jackson’s watchful eye, the Knicks still like to stand around a lot.
The all-eyes-on-Melo offense that has become a staple of Knicks basketball was alive and well in the opening night beatdown at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. Anthony finished with just 14 points on 5-of-13 shots. He said afterwards that the Bulls’ game plan was “to not let me see daylight,” via ESPN. Jackson said that his team wasn’t ready for “showtime.”
One night and an uncountable number of criticisms later, the Knicks traveled to Cleveland for LeBron James’ epic return to the Cavaliers.
You know, the game that there has been a million commercials about. The game that LBJ, himself, ridiculously called “one of the biggest sporting events...ever.”
When the ball was tipped up, the homecoming parade ended. Behind a heroic effort from Melo, the Knicks upset Cleveland and contained LeBron, holding him to 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Anthony finished with an efficient 25 points (9-of-17 from the floor), and his biggest bucket came with less than 30 seconds left. New York had pulled away early in the fourth, but the Cavaliers came roaring back and cut the deficit to three.
Anthony got the ball in the corner and threw the triangle to the wind. One-on-one, Melo against LeBron.
With one dribble towards the baseline, Anthony rose up and sank a tightly contested jumper over James to give the Knicks a lead they’d never relinquish.
Passing and motion are great. But sometimes, it's best to get Anthony the ball and get out of the way.
Before the season started, Anthony told ESPN’s Ian Begley what to expect from the triangle.
"Everybody will be part of the game; everybody will feel like they have something to do with the game. And then...I think we all know that when it's time for me to go to work, it's time for me to go to work."
J.R. Smith led the Knicks with seven assists against Cleveland, followed by Melo with six. Starting point guard Jose Calderon is out for 2-3 weeks with a calf injury, so Smith and Anthony, who have been known to play selfishly at times, will need to continue spreading the wealth.
"I don't think I'll be the scoring champ. Especially with this system, the way we're playing—the way that it's going to be well-balanced, the style of play we're going to have, I don't think I'll have to lead the league in scoring this year," Anthony said on Oct. 18, per Begley.
While New York certainly would not mind seeing Anthony atop the scoring chase, it might be just as content to get a systematic 25 points, six assists and seven or eight boards from the cold-blooded star.
Moving Parts Around the Association
LeBron James
Anthony’s rookie campaign was back in 2003-04, the same year that James entered the league. The two will forever be linked, despite the different paths their careers have taken.
James could very well go down as the greatest player of all time. He’s racked up four of the past six MVP awards, winning two championships along the way.
But this season, LBJ is back where he started—the Cavaliers. After four years and two title runs with the Miami Heat, James opted to rejoin the team with which he had spent his first seven professional seasons.
The Cavaliers are clear championship contenders. James is leading a young team that includes Kyrie Irving, one of the best point guards in the game, and the freakishly gifted Kevin Love, arguably a top-three big man.
That’s great for Cleveland. For James’ MVP chances? Not as much.
Irving and Love are both used to dominating the ball. So were Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh when James joined them on the Heat in 2010-11.
Derrick Rose was the league MVP in 2010-11.
Does that take James out of the MVP discussion? Of course not. Many would argue that he’s actually the favorite to win the award given the fact that while his points could drop, his assists numbers could rise.
It's not crazy to think that the King could become the second player ever to average a triple-double.
But the Cavaliers aren’t necessarily guaranteed to click right away. In James' inaugural season with Miami, the team started 8-7.
Here's what James told B/R's Ethan Skolnick after losing to the Knicks on opening night:
"I'm throwing passes where I was hoping that some of my teammates were, and they were not there, and that will come with each game, each practice. It's a team that's learning each other. The one in the corner, where Kyrie [Irving], I thought he was gonna stay in the corner, he cut backdoor. There was another one late, when I thought Kevin [Love] was gonna kind of roll, he popped.
"
While the upside for a historic season is there for James, it’s perhaps more likely that his stats take a slight dip due to his star-studded supporting cast.
Kevin Durant
After dethroning LeBron and winning his first career MVP last season, Durant fractured his foot and will miss at least a month of regular-season action.
Durant suffered the injury in early October, which robbed him of most of the preseason. When he returns, the lanky scoring machine could be under a minutes restriction, experience some rust or feel a discord between himself and fellow star Russell Westbrook, who will be coming back from an injury the same time as KD.
Westbrook got hurt in OKC's second game of the season.
Here's more on Westbrook's injury from B/R's NBA Senior Writer, Kevin Ding:
"Russell Westbrook was so exasperated as he walked off the Staples Center floor that even after he decided he'd better stop arguing in the tunnel with a heckling Los Angeles Clippers fan/imbecile, Westbrook spun in a circle and seemed about to punch the wall with his unbroken hand.
Westbrook's opportunity to promote himself as an MVP candidate and advance the Oklahoma City Thunder without Kevin Durant was rudely erased Thursday night when the guard broke his right hand.
He will likely miss at least a month, and Durant could possibly be back from his broken foot before Westbrook even plays again. The longer they are out simultaneously, though, the more the 0-2 Thunder will surely slide in the challenging Western Conference.
"
Westbrook was sidelined for nearly half of last year with a knee injury, opening the door for Durant to put on a scalding-hot one-man show in the heart of winter. The 26-year-old Durant put up 32 points a game last season, including an unreal month of January.
In 16 games, KD averaged 35.9 points on 54.9 percent shooting in the year’s first month, adding 6.1 boards and 6.1 assists en route to a 13-4 record.
Now the Thunder are in trouble. With its two biggest stars sidelined for a few weeks, the team's playoff hopes are in jeopardy. Ideally, a team shouldn't have to count on guys like Perry Jones and Reggie Jackson to fight for its survival in the loaded Western Conference.
Not only will Durant have to clash with the likes of James and Anthony, he’ll also have to fend off his own teammate (a fellow MVP contender) and lead a heroic, uphill run to the playoffs upon his return.
Durant has a very difficult road ahead in his attempt to retain the MVP crown.
Do the Knicks Need to Win?
On paper, the Knicks are not nearly as good as the Bulls, Cavaliers, Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. And that’s just the Eastern Conference. The West? Forget it.
But there’s no reason that New York can’t, at the very least, make the playoffs.
If the ‘Bockers find themselves getting pummeled night after night and struggling to win with the triangle (and wind up reverting to squares and circles and rhombuses), Melo’s MVP hopes will significantly deflate.
In 2012-13, Anthony won the scoring crown and led the Knicks to their first division title in 19 years. The 54-28 Knicks won a playoff series—their first since 2000—and then got bounced in Round 2.
Melo finished third in MVP voting that year, trailing just James and Durant. Unlike LeBron (120) and Melo (one), KD didn’t get a first-place vote.
Last season, Melo had significantly better rebounding and assists numbers and also bumped up his shooting percentages from the field and beyond the arc. His defensive stats (blocks and steals) rose, as well. As for his points, Anthony went from leading the league with 28.7 to finishing second behind Durant with 27.4.
But the Knicks were bad—oh, were they bad. The 37-45 team didn’t even make the postseason following the most successful year since Patrick Ewing was starting at center.
With better numbers than when he placed third, Melo finished 15th in MVP voting last season.
Needless to say, winning plays a huge factor in earning the right to call yourself the best in the game.
New York should be able to win enough games to warrant an MVP bid from its biggest and brightest star this season, though. We're talking playoffs, not championships, people.
James and Durant will be in the mix, as always. So will a ton of other stars—that’s what makes the NBA so great.
But with his most powerful foes facing their own unique obstacles and a rejuvenated franchise on his back, 2014-15 could be the year of Carmelo Anthony.
All stats are accurate as of Nov. 1 courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com
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