Carmelo Anthony: Could New York Knicks Let Melo Be Traded to Los Angeles Lakers?
No team in sports enjoys more undeserved acclaim than the New York Knicks. Somehow, the Knicks have managed to convince the sporting public that they are an elite franchise despite the fact that they won the NBA championship only twice in their 66-years of existence and are currently suffering a 38-season drought! Even Chicago Cubs fans feel bad for them.
So imagine you’re a Knicks fan and catch wind that Carmelo Anthony wants to come to the Big Apple. Now, if “The Decision” fiasco has taught us anything, it’s that huge stars can go anywhere they want.
So when Melo said that his "ultimate dream" would be to play in New York, it seemed like such a lock he would play for the Knicks that New York management didn’t find it urgent to actually make the trade.
And why should they? It’s not like Denver had any other options. Carmelo made it clear that he wanted to go to New York and team with Amar’e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton to form a team that would have a chance to hang with the Eastern Conference elite. New Jersey was not an option. There were no other options, until there was.
Earlier this week it was announced that the Lakers have made overtures toward Anthony. If you thought Stoudemire, Anthony and Felton would be dangerous, could you imagine a Kobe-Melo-Gasol triumvirate? Despite all Melo has said about wanting to play in New York, don’t you think a championship (or five), in LA no less, would be appealing?
So to recap, the Knicks had Carmelo all lined up; all they had to do was pull the trigger. They end up sitting on it because they assume they can get him at a cheaper rate because their only real competition was the Nets. Suddenly, there is competition for Anthony’s services, and it comes from the only other team in the league that he might sign with, the Lakers.
The sound you hear is every Knicks fan collectively giving themselves the face palm. Their team had a chance to be relevant, really relevant, for the first time since the Ewing years and they may have blown it. And for what? So they could hold onto Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari? Are you kidding me?
Sure, Chandler and Gallinari are nice players, but we’re talking about Carmelo Anthony here. Anthony is a superstar, and Chandler and Gallinari are role players.
Do you mean to tell me the Knicks couldn’t find another high energy forward to replace Chandler? And you KNOW there are plenty of 6'10" wingmen playing in Europe. Chandler and Gallinari offer New York talented depth but Anthony is a game changer. Beyond that, Anthony is a marquee player in this league. He’ll put butts in seats. The Garden will be full of rabid fans, every single night. After all the hype, anything less than Anthony should be unacceptable.
I know Knicks owner James Dolan is the same guy who hired Isiah Thomas, and oversaw that subsequent debacle. I know he’s the man who paid millions to guys like Eddy Curry and Jerome James, but even Dolan can’t screw this up, right? New York hasn’t had a player as good as Anthony since Patrick Ewing and it hasn’t had a player with his swag since Walt Clyde Frazier.
Mike D’Antoni is changing the culture in New York slowly but surely, but adding Melo would be an adrenaline shot to the heart. If it doesn’t happen, I have no idea how Knicks fans will keep from rioting. Not only would they be losing Anthony, but to LA! You thought the Lakers and Celtics faced off in the Finals often? How would you like Lakers vs. Heat for the next decade?
Sure, the Knicks have been overvalued seemingly forever, but they do play in New York and are on the right track. Losing out on the Melo sweepstakes could be the type of blow that derails a franchise. That is something the fans don’t deserve.
Mr. Dolan, if that isn’t enough reason to go out and get Anthony, could you at least do it so we aren’t subjected to the coronation of the King in Miami?
