Can Carmelo Anthony Still Be Alpha Dog for the New York Knicks?
Carmelo Anthony has said he's willing to play a supporting role beside a bigger star, if that's what it takes for the New York Knicks to win. But he still can be alpha dog in 2015-16...because he must be.
Why? Partly it's because the Knicks drew No. 4 in the draft lottery. Mostly it's because, when you consider how empty the roster is right now, you realize the Knicks don't have as much money to spend on free agents as you thought.
When the salary cap skyrockets in the 2016-17 season, 'Melo's status might shift. But remember: The cap increase will pour an extra $22-26 million into every team's coffer, so even though the Knicks will be able to afford big-time free agents, so will everyone else.
If it's smart, the New York front office will do two things: (1) sign a couple of strong free agents to be Anthony's right-hand men in the starting lineup and (2) draft a player who will complement 'Melo now and evolve into the franchise's alpha dog three or four seasons into the future.
The Legend of 'Melo
Before we go any further, let's just take a moment to reflect on why Anthony is a star, why the Knicks pay him nearly $23 million and why we're even having this conversation.
He's the guy who scored 62 points at Madison Square Garden in one night. He's the toughest player Paul Pierce has ever had to guard, according to Paul Pierce on the Players' Tribune. The Truth wrote Anthony's "combination of physicality and shooting touch is unmatched in the NBA."
'Melo's got a touch for sinking supremely difficult shots—the twisting, one-footed, off-balance, double-teamed fall-back jumpers that make announcers sputter, rub their eyes and say "how did that go in?" And when the jumpers aren't there, he can do what Steph Curry and James Harden can't do: post up and power to the hoop with surprising strength.
And call me old-fashioned, but I love fundamentals, and Anthony has the best pump fake in the league.
Now, onto the newbies.
The Fate of the Draft Pick
To Knicks fans who are still dead set on wallowing in misery, forgive my momentary optimism when I say that falling to No. 4 in the draft, and probably missing out on Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, isn't a disaster.
I've been writing for nearly two months that the Knicks should draft 6'5" point guard Emmanuel Mudiay even if they got a No. 1 pick. With a No. 4 selection, there's a good chance they still could...but a great chance they still won't.
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski started a stir Tuesday night with one tweet saying he expects them to start shopping their pick.
They're considering passing on a player who is being compared to John Wall, Derrick Rose and Damian Lillard. Mudiay has professional experience, albeit in China. If the Knicks wise up and draft him, he could be the next franchise player and make a big impact sooner rather than later.
ESPN Insider Chad Ford tweeted Tuesday night he's not sure the Knicks are sold on Mudiay (although he still had them selecting Mudiay in his updated mock draft Wednesday morning).
Ford writes, "Yes, the Knicks might decide to trade the pick. But they shouldn't. Mudiay could become a star for them—sooner rather than later."
Mudiay isn't the only option, of course. They could also go for Willie Cauley-Stein, an athletic center who can defend anybody you throw at him and could certainly provide the rim protection the Knicks so desperately need.
There's a chance they go for small forward Justise Winslow, but it seems like a strange selection, unless they've already decided to start moving Anthony back over to power forward.
What's more likely is that they trade the No. 4 pick—probably swapping it for a lower pick in this draft and other assets (like a role player or more picks).
In any of these draft-related scenarios, Anthony's status as top dog remains secure for the next few seasons at least.
Could he be dethroned by another NBA All-Star, though? To hear some tell it, the Knicks are dripping in rubies and diamonds, just dying to start throwing them at big-time free agents. But once you sit down and really balance the checkbook, they don't look quite so wealthy.
How Much Money Are We Talking?
Before the draft lottery, ESPN.com's Ian Begley calculated that the Knicks would have $26 million of cap space, guessing they would have a No. 2 pick. Later draftees get lower salaries, so if the Knicks keep their No. 4 and pay him the standard rookie scale of $3,443,100, they'll have another $800,000 to spend, which brings the total closer to $27 million.
That sounds pretty good until you realize that there are only six guys on the roster right now (and not necessarily the ones you want).
The four Knickerbockers with guaranteed contracts are Anthony ($22.88 million), Jose Calderon ($7.4 million), Tim Hardaway Jr. ($1.3 million) and Cleanthony Early ($845,000). Langston Galloway and Ricky Ledo have partially guaranteed contracts of $845,000 and $947,276, respectively.
Add the young man you draft and the cupboards are still pretty bare. Ledo and Early are not starters or even the first guys you want off the bench. Hardaway was inconsistent last season, to say the least. Calderon was dreadful.
Plus, there isn't a power forward or center in the bunch, unless you count 'Melo.
So you have to build just about your entire frontcourt. You're still weak on defense. And if he has another year like last season, your $7 million point guard is worth his weight in turnips.
Now you want a big sexy free agent, do ya? No argument that LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol are worth max deals. Either one would cost $18.9 million, leaving the Knicks only about $8 million and seven empty roster slots.
Detroit Pistons center-forward Greg Monroe is a bit more affordable, but even he may cost about $15.7 million if he gets a max deal (which I'm not 100 percent convinced he's worth). That leaves the Knicks with $11.3 million and seven empty roster spots.
How's that $27 million looking now?
My point with all that math is this: If Monroe is the biggest stud the Knicks can afford to bring in this offseason, he isn't a big enough star to push 'Melo off his throne.
There are also several free agents in the (probably) sub-$10 million range whom New York should have their eyes on—Monta Ellis, DeMarre Carroll, Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews and Danny Green foremost among them.
Yet even with two of those players and a top-five draft pick on staff, Anthony is still the star of the New York Knicks.
The Star or The Leader
Does being the star, though, mean that he is or must be the leader?
Anthony has been criticized over the years for not being enough of a leader. A fairer description is that he is not a vocal leader. Anthony's former teammate, Chauncey Billups, explained it well last month during an interview on "The Knicks Blog with Anthony Donahue” radio show. Billups said, via John DeMarzo of the New York Post:
"Melo’s a good friend of mine, one of the best players I ever played with, but he’s not the guy who’s going to stand up in the locker room and give this rah-rah speech and get the team to rally. That’s not who he is. ... He’s going to come to work. He’s going to lead by example, he’s not going to be vocal.
"
Even if 'Melo isn't a leader, per se, give the man some credit for simply never being a problem. He's not getting tossed out of games for flagrants or technicals. He hasn't been suspended for drug use. There have been no assaults, rapes, gun charges or sex scandals. He hasn't punched out any spectators in the stands. He's not feuding with coaches. He doesn't say stupid things in interviews or on social media.
Talent like his often comes with ego to match. Quietly leading by example might be the most we should ask of 'Melo. Plus, he did help Blake Griffin with his pull-back jumper.
Perhaps the Knicks ought to take Billups' advice and use some of their cap space to sign a different "rah-rah" leader (DeMarre Carroll or Wesley Matthews might help here), or empower young leaders like Langston Galloway to speak up more.
Regardless of what you think of Anthony, the fact is there aren't many players who can do what he does. He's going to be New York's top dog for the next few seasons at least.
The Knicks don't have to gamble the franchise's future to give 'Melo a playoff team in 2015-16. If they're smart, they can have both.
Just don't bet any big money on it.
Follow Sara Peters on Twitter @3FromThe7. Shout-out to South Benjamin for the pointer to the Blake Griffin video.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
