Carmelo Anthony to New York: Why Miami Heat's LeBron and Wade Did Knicks a Favor

It seems like only yesterday that Madison Square Garden was filled with customized LeBron James Knicks jerseys in anticipation that the self-proclaimed "King of Akron" would leave Cleveland for New York.

It was also merely months ago that it seemed the Knicks were also a viable option for Dwyane Wade.

Those days are gone.

And the Knicks are not complaining.

Amar'e Stoudemire and company are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, showing at times that they can compete with the best of the NBA.

Oh and also, Carmelo Anthony seems only a heartbeat away from coming to the Big Apple.

Despite the success and potential that has surrounded the Knicks this season, there are some unanswered questions that still linger from this past summer.

Where would the Knicks stand with James on the team right now? What if Wade actually signed with New York? Why were the Knicks so unappealing to these superstars?

I answer these questions with one of my own: Who cares?

Stoudemire has been astounding for New York this season and if the Knicks add Carmelo, they will be in a better position than the Heat are.

Ignore the fact that the Denver Nuggets' asking price for Carmelo is astronomical.

Ignore the fact that the Heat are the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Put the impressiveness of Wade, James and the highly-overrated Chris Bosh aside, and take a good look at this situation.

If the Knicks can obtain Carmelo for a reasonable price, then the disappointment, if any even exists, regarding this past off-season will disappear completely. Carmelo Anthony would make the Knicks instant title contenders.

And New York has Wade and LeBron to thank for all of this.

When they decided to join forces in Miami, Anthony became a viable option for the Knicks.  

And he's a better option for the Knicks.

Carmelo and Stoudemire will be able to accomplish things that Wade and LeBron cannot. You can even add Bosh to the mix and I do not believe the trio would be able to compete with a Stoudemire and Anthony duo.

Don't believe me? Take a look at the facts.

Wade is averaging 25.3 points per game this season and LeBron is averaging 26.1 points.

Anthony is averaging 23.9 points per game while Amar'e is averaging 26 points.

LeBron and Wade may combine for 1.5 points more per game, but this doesn't tell the whole story.

Anthony and Stoudemire combine for 17 rebounds per game while LeBron and Wade combine for only 14.

Wade and LeBron combine for 11 assists per game while STAT and Anthony combine for only 7.

I could go on and on, but the picture is painted.

I know that Anthony and Stoudemire play for different teams, but they combine for almost identical stats when compared to James and Wade.  

And if Anthony does join the Knicks you better believe that his points per game and possibly rebounds, would only increase in coach Mike D'Antoni's system.

What's the point I am trying to make?

Stoudemire and Anthony are New York Knicks material while LeBron and Wade just aren't.

Wade and LeBron may have had the opportunity to sign with New York and declined, but the aforementioned is true regardless of who rejected who.

New York needs players with grit and toughness. It needs players with a head on their shoulders paired with the right amount of swagger.  

And most of all the Knicks need players who exhibit leadership.

Stoudemire has already proved he is New York material by accepting the challenge to play in the Big Apple, and excelling at doing so. He has exhibited leadership and confidence, without a trace of arrogance.

Anthony has already proved he is a New York Knick at heart, and he isn't even on the team. He has made it clear that he wants to come play for the Knicks, and he has done so quietly.

Yes, the Carmelo situation receives a lot of media attention, but Anthony handles it gracefully. He says all the right things to reporters and never speaks out against the Denver Nuggets.

LeBron and Wade on the other hand, are a different story.Many will disagree I'm sure, but these two players are not true leaders on the court.

Both are incredible athletes, but they lack that X-factor or that certain drive to be a leader and make their teammates better.

Still don't believe me? Let's take the recent Knicks versus Heat game as proof.

LeBron scored 24 points, but shot 7-for-24 from the field. It's true all players have off-nights, but a leader must do other things when their game is faltering.

James did not push or encourage his teammates. He tried to force the game instead of letting it come to him. Even when Dwyane Wade had the hot hand, he still was not smart enough to lean on him.

The thing about LeBron is that he tries to do everything on his own. Forming the trio in Miami seems to prove otherwise, but he doesn't trust his teammates, regardless of what he says.

But Dwyane Wade trusts his teammates right? Didn't he say so?

This is true. After the loss to the Knicks, Wade claimed he tried to trust his teammates.

"When I got back in," Wade said referring to his return to the game in the fourth quarter, "I trusted my teammates and I got off the ball and gave guys shots and they just didn't go down."

Wade basically threw his teammates under the bus, which is exactly what a leader does not do.  

A leader must assume responsibility for his team's loss to show that he lives and dies with the team. Basketball is a team sport, and just because one player has a good night, doesn't mean he has the right to point fingers.

And by the way, Wade was 0-for-7 from the field in that fourth quarter, and only 1-for-4 from the free throw line.

Amar'e has placed the burden of a Knicks loss on his shoulders multiple times this season like a true leader does, and Carmelo has done the same for the Nuggets.

No, I'm not saying the Knicks need to gut their entire roster to obtain Anthony now because he's New York material—I'm saying Knicks fans owe Wade and LeBron a thank you.

If either of them had signed with New York this past off-season, fans would be cheering for extremely egotistical athletes—and what fun is that?

Both Wade and LeBron are talented, but the Knicks and their fans dodged a bullet. They have escaped being hypnotized by Wade's flashiness and LeBron's explosiveness.

Had the Knicks signed Wade or LeBron, we would not be discussing Carmelo to New York right now. It would not have been an option.

Instead, LeBron and Wade headed to Miami, and by doing so, they did the Knicks a huge favor.

The Knicks and their fans can now see that they were mistaken and simply blinded by their desperate desire to build a winning team.  

The Knicks can see that Wade and/or LeBron would not have been a good fit.

New York can see the truth.

And the truth is, custom-made Carmelo Anthony Knick jerseys deserve to frequent the Garden way more than the LeBron ones ever did.