Why We Should Expect a Rejuvenated Carmelo Anthony Next Year
The last time we saw a full season from Carmelo Anthony, he single handedly dragged an undermanned New York Knicks team to the brink of a playoff berth.
But no one wants to talk about that.
All fans and doubting media members want to do lately is take jabs at the 31-year-old forward who chose dollar signs over contention when he signed a five-year, $124 million deal with Phil Jackson's Knicks last summer.
In year one, a damaged knee forced Anthony to limp into the All-Star Game and then shut it down as New York had arguably the most embarrassing showing in franchise history.
Now that he's had a year of recovery, No. 7 will enter 2015-16 with a clean bill of health. Still, though, a lot of negative press has followed him in the past week and change.
According to multiple reports, Anthony was peeved when Jackson took lanky Latvian teenager Kristaps Porzingis, who has as much potential as he does swag, with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA draft on Thursday.
Those reports have opened up a torrent of shots on Melo, both from basketball fans and those who cover the sport.
Here's what Mike Lupica wrote for the New York Daily News on Monday:
"Either shut up and play, or stand up and demand to be traded, if anybody out there wants a 31-year-old player with a surgical knee making max money. Everybody always talks about what a good guy Carmelo Anthony is. This would be a good time for James Dolan's star to act like one.
"
Please.
Expect all this noise to turn into fuel as Anthony comes out harder, stronger and louder than Meek Mill's new album in 2015-16.
On to Better Things
Before we dive into the love triangle (anybody catch that one?) that is Melo, Jackson and the Zinger, let's not allow his old running mates to fade to the backs of our minds.
J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert both played with Anthony since 2011-12. No. 7 took Shump under his wing early, and the two seemed to be great friends. Melo and Smith were also tight during their shared years with the Denver Nuggets, and the former is the godfather of the latter's daughters.
These guys are bros.
After PJax pulled the trigger on a cap-clearing deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline, two of the three played in the NBA Finals this season, while the lone wolf of the trio was forced to cheer them on from home.
"He's excited for us," Smith said of Anthony, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. "I talked to him for a while. I can't say everything he said, I'd probably get fined. It was a great conversation....[He] was happy. He wanted me to go out and have fun. It's a stage I've been waiting for. He told me to go out there and thrive on it. He's happy for me."
Shumpert added that while Anthony might be conflicted with his former teammates playing in a different uniform, "he's a huge basketball fan, always going to be cheering for our success unless he has to play against us. We definitely have a great friendship."
Anthony did all the right things. And the support of his former teammates is definitely genuine.
But if you don't think that ate at Melo, you're crazy.
How could any sane person brush off comments like "Look what happens when you put these guys with LeBron James," or this, which Smith posted on Instagram after the Cavs closed out the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals?
Take a look at Anthony's own IG account, and you'll see all kinds of workout posts in recent weeks. The 6'8" forward, who has cut a ton of weight the past few years, looks as chiseled, spry and athletic as ever:
Most of these pictures came during the Finals, and that probably wasn't an accident. It was his way of saying, "I'm still here, and I'm coming."
Look, Anthony isn't LeBron, a star capable of turning water into wine when it comes to players like Smith and Shumpert.
But Melo is a man with pride. The immediate success of his friends and former teammates after leaving the lowly Knicks will almost certainly be a source of motivation for him going forward.
Zinging the Zinger? Think Again
A day after the draft, Frank Isola of the Daily News reported that Anthony wasn't happy with how Jackson and the Knicks went about their business:
That same day, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith dropped this one while on SiriusXM radio (h/t CBS New York): "I (was) talking to my sources last night. All they said was, he's furious. He's livid. He feels completely hoodwinked and betrayed by Phil Jackson."
The Internet went up in anti-Anthony flames Friday night, so the perennial All-Star took to social media to douse the rumors in truth. While responding to fans, he called Porzingis "a steal," and seemed to blow off a bit of steam with other answers.
Was Anthony doing damage control, or were Isola and Smith simply misguided? You can decide for yourself, but on Sunday, TMZ published a video in which Anthony sings the Zinger's praises.
"I really love him. I feel him," Anthony said in a genuine tone. He added that he's going to work out with the Latvian soon.
The truth is, Melo should love Porzingis.
While the rookie is a beanpole right now, his ceiling is virtually nonexistent because he's 7'1" with a deadly jumper. Anthony loves to play what he calls "bully ball" down low, so he and the lottery pick could form an intriguing one-two punch at the forward spots, with both players being able to score from literally all over the court.
"I'm a big who can stretch the floor," Porzingis said in an interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post. "Carmelo, you know, he's gonna try to attack. He will have some spacing with me open. I will go for every rebound whenever Carmelo shoots."
Plus, as Porzingis grows, develops and acclimates to the NBA, he's got the potential to be a star, a franchise player. That will relieve Anthony of the pressure to constantly carry New York and all things blue and orange on his back.
He'll have a sidekick at first, and as his career winds down, Anthony could be able to let the Zinger take the lead as No. 7 becomes more of a second option. Melo has already said he wouldn't mind taking a back seat to the Knicks' pick (though, in fairness, he didn't know who it would be at the time).
Sometimes rumors—like the one that Anthony was stomping his feet after the draft—grow legs and run much farther than they should.
In reality, Melo and Porzingis both speak highly of one another and, more importantly for Knicks fans, will form a versatile tandem capable of baffling defenses next season.
Is Anthony a Knick for Good?
Many fans have brought up the notion of trading Anthony, whose contract will likely look worse the older he gets. But right now, the guy is a superstar when healthy—and now, after more than enough recovery time, he is.
Still, the team's loyal following seems to be interested in cutting ties with the forward. Could he play with a chip on his shoulder, only to grow tired of the New York scene and waive his no-trade clause?
During his recent Instagram response session, Anthony told one heckler that he's in for the long haul:
"I'm here for my team, my family, and my fans....What you think of me doesn't make me or break [me]. At the end of the day, I'm a NYKNICK. You either like it or not. I'm gonna do me regardless."
Here's a link to the whole exchange, as transcribed by ESPN's Ian Begley.
So there's your answer. As of right now, despite all the reports and speculation, Anthony is in the Big Apple for good.
And he seems hellbent on reminding everyone why he's made eight career All-Star appearances in his 12 pro seasons.
Jackson did a solid job at the draft in picking up Porzingis and also flipping the struggling Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Atlanta Hawks for the rights to Jerian Grant, a stud four-year guard out of Norte Dame.
As he looks to further improve the roster through free agency this summer, the Zen Master can count on this: A fired-up Anthony will be raring to silence his critics, re-establish himself as one of the league's elite players and, most importantly, take the Knicks back to relevance in 2015-16.
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