Tyson Chandler Calls Carmelo Anthony's Situation with NY Knicks 'Unfortunate'
Nothing can make the sting of constant defeat feel even worse quite like pity.
That's what makes recent comments from former New York Knicks big man Tyson Chandler particularly painful. The Dallas Mavericks center went through the tumultuous 2013-14 season alongside Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the Madison Square Garden faithful, but now, he can see just how awful this franchise-worst start to the 2014-15 campaign has looked from the outside.
After he and the Mavericks earned a 20-point victory over the Knicks on Tuesday night, one that pushed New York's record to a putrid 5-22, Chandler expressed his sympathy to ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon:
"I do [feel sorry for Anthony] because he's a competitor. I laced them up and went to battle with him for the last three years and know what kind of competitor he is.
I know he wants to win, and I know he's going to take a lot of this heat. And it's unfortunate because he's a hell of a player in our league. It's just unfortunate.
"
These comments do feel genuine, even if there have been hints of bad blood between the two former teammates in the past. And that makes it even worse, as true sympathy means the sentiments are legitimate and—even worse—deserved.
After all, this situation with the Knicks really is more than just unfortunate for Anthony.
While fighting through knee trouble, he's put together yet another impressive individual season. As of Dec. 19, he's averaging 23.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He's shooting 45.7 percent from the field (his best mark since the 2009-10 campaign back in Denver), and he's hitting 35.6 percent of his deep looks.
His player efficiency rating, courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com, is 21.2. And while that's not up to his normal standard—he was at 24.4 last year—that's by no means a shabby mark, considering the league average is only 15.
It just hasn't been enough, amid a cloud of dysfunction, a roster that doesn't have all that much talent and a system that is in no way tailored to the skills of the players hoping to run it. There's only so much Anthony can do, just as was the case last year.
Nothing looks positive right now, as George Willis highlighted for the New York Post after this most recent loss:
"The frustration of a 5-22 record after a 107-87 loss to the Mavericks has seen Carmelo Anthony and Tim Hardaway exchanging words during a recent game against the Nets. Meanwhile, Jackson has said the Knicks have adapted a 'loser's mentality,' which is why they can't win close games.
There are also reports some players dislike the triangle offense, prompting Jackson to recently say the Knicks are suffering from a 'resistance to discipline and order and culture change.'
The body language isn't good, either. On the final play of the first half Tuesday night, Amar'e Stoudemire jumped high in the air and blocked a shot by Monta Ellis. He came crashing to the court as the buzzer sounded. Every other Knick, including Anthony who was only a few feet away, simply walked off the court, leaving Chandler, a former teammate, to help Stoudemire back to his feet.
"
Yikes.
Nothing more needs to be said about that, as the overall negativity just speaks for itself. There's a reason—actually, a lot of reasons—that Bleacher Report's Howard Beck recently reported every Knick other than Anthony, "possibly even the ball boys," can be had in a trade. This team has devolved over the last few years, becoming a breeding ground for dysfunction and inadequate basketball.
And Chandler isn't the only one expressing deserved sympathy for his former superstar teammate.
"It's most unfortunate for Carmelo Anthony. He took the money from Phil Jackson to stick with the Knicks, but he never signed up for this," ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor wrote while basically tearing apart the Knicks organization. "So go ahead and feel sorry for the $124 million ballplayer, if only because he doesn't deserve a sorry excuse for a team like this one."
So, were Chandler's comments accurate? Is Anthony's situation with the Knicks really unfortunate?
I'd argue the answer is a rather definitive no but only because that word isn't nearly strong enough to describe what's happening in the Big Apple.
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