How We Define Players is Flawed
Carmelo Anthony is on his way out of The Mile High City
According to the latest report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets will be parting ways for sure. What is left to wonder now is when it will happen and where will he be going? While I truly believe his best basketball move would be to go to Houston, the Nets, Clippers, Warriors, and Bobcats have also been cited as potential destinations.
It will be the end of a seven year run for the Denver Nuggets as a playoff team as they have made it clear that they will be trading off their core along with Anthony for young players and expiring contracts to create cap space. Anthony doesn’t strike me as a person who truly wants to bail on the team that drafted him but with the current trend being set by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (who all happen to be in the same draft class as Anthony of 2003) he clearly feels the pressure to make his move and go to a team that has a better chance to contend for a title.
So there we have it. Another team that will be left in the wind that originally drafted Anthony to be the cornerstone of their franchise and who has become the most complete offensive player in the game today. Is this injustice for these teams or is it a consequence of how fans, media, legends and the Hall of Fame continue to define a great player of their generation? While it’s debatable at this point whether Carmelo will ever be a Hall of Famer or is even considered a superstar, think about what is going on with our thought processes. We focus so much on players winning championships and how it defines how great they are but then we also criticize players for leaving situations for greener pastures such as Clyde Drexler, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, etc. etc. Well I’m pretty annoyed of the two-faced bs that fans give to players that put in years of work to try to get it done where they were originally drafted. If you (the fans, media and whoever else) stop defining players based on how many championships or playoff runs they had, then maybe I could see your argument. But don’t sit here and tell me you would have thought LeBron would be just as great if he had won just one NBA title in Cleveland versus 2-4 in Miami. Don’t sit here and tell me that you wouldn’t knock Garnett for never winning a title by staying in Minnesota versus joining up with Pierce and Allen. Also don’t sit here and tell me you wouldn’t have knocked Malone if he had won the title in ’04 with the Lakers!!! Fans are just as fickle as any media type with regards to defining great players.
Think about how many great players there are WITHOUT NBA championships!!! Think about it this way, there are a lot because 1) the Lakers and the Celtics have played in over half of the total NBA Finals to this date 2) Michael Jordan stopped numerous greats from getting just one (Barkley, Malone, Ewing, Stockton, Dominique Wilkins, Dikembe Mutombo and Reggie Miller just to name a few). The stance by fans that rings define greatness and then the reaction that they give when they see a guy leave a situation that doesn’t appear like its going to get any better is flawed. The reality in my opinion is that a player has to be defined by more than just winning. Look at the whole damn body of work and then make a judgment. I understand the NBA is trying to appeal to the casual fan and everything is about the bottom line but I just feel the judgment of stars and their legacies is complete bull.
This is just an opinion…so please Pardon My Bias
