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| Will Carmelo Anthony leave the struggling New York Knicks and test free agency? Photo credit NBA |
Carmelo Anthony is pondering the most important decision of his NBA career. Should he stay with the New York Knicks, now without any coaches, or join forces with a new team in a new city? As a rabid basketball fan, I reserve the right to over-analyze anything that happens in the association. So join me as we look at every what-if, every possible, and every mindset scenario that may be currently bouncing around in the mind of Melo.
Phil Jackson Factor
Every player has wanted to play for Phil Jackson since they feel in love with the game. Phil Jackson's resume is unlike any other coach to walk the painted boundaries in any arena: 11-championships, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, and Shaquille O'Neal...in that order. He played an integral part in shaping and molding two of the best two players ever with Jordan and Bryant by surrounding them with a perfect complimentary cast. Jordan had Scottie, while Kobe had both Shaq and Pau Gasol to work with. Melo could be the next on that list. He has the enough raw talent to be Batman or Robin. And when your winning titles, who cares...
The reality of having The Zen Master in the building is that he is there not to walk the boundaries, run practice, or make mid-game adjustments with the triangle offense. For the first time, he is simply an executive tasked with selling his relationship with Knicks' owner James Dolan to potential free agents. Anyone hopping on the New York express with Phil has the conductor needs to be content with him only watching from a luxury suite versus getting coached by him. He has 0 rings as the President of Basketball Operations for any team.
The way the front office of the Knicks have performed over the last five years combined with the indecision the plagued Jackson throughout his coaching career you have to wonder how long will this marriage last. Neither party has been hesitant to take a different path when they see the road looking rocky ahead. The immediacy the franchise exhibited by firing Mike Woodson is a good sign that indeed Phil Jackson is callin the shots...for now.
Mo Money
Carmelo Anthony has to decide how much money is worth. Is money worth going through a tougher season than his last? Is money worth taking the chance that Phil will be able to lure top free agents to play with him?
He was vocal about not wanting to go through another rebuilding process, but $130 million is $130 million! The NBA salary cap will go up next season from $58.6 to $63.2 million, giving every team the chance to had better players. Is money worth not joining a better team?
Winning
"I want to come back. I also want to win...I'm not at the point in my career where I want to rebuild." - Carmelo Anthony during his exit interview.
If winning is really the most important thing for Melo at this point in his career, then joining forces with Chicago or Houston would make sense...right? Adding another scoring threat to pair with a guard like James Harden or Derek Rose, plus with a presence in the paint like Dwight Howard or Joakim Noah (my favorite player to interview), would easily catapult that team to elite status. At the very least the next "Big 3" of the NBA. Both teams are well coached and both franchises are not new to catering top talent.
If Melo decides to join any one of those teams, he along with the other two starts would have to settle for what is left of the team. The increase salary cap helps to add Anthony, but still means a depleted supporting cast. Joining forces with other star players worked out okay for LeBron James, and people still consider him the best player on the planet. Would we all feel the same about Melo?
L.A.
Los Angeles is one of two wild cards in the deck shuffling through his mind...in my opinion. We all know his wife is a savvy business woman that spends time on the West Coast making deals. If your Carmelo and your okay with rebuilding, what would take longer? Getting the Knicks back to prominence in two years or joining Kobe Bryant and a high draft pick in L.A. Kobe could teach Melo the Jedi way to championship, plus hand him the keys to take over a franchise with 16 championships. Call it long shot, but everything is on the table for this decision.
The Decision
In the end, the decision still relies squarely on Anthony's shoulders. In any circumstance he will be better off than the season he just ended in New York. There is still something to be said about playing in your home city in front of fans that have supported you since your college days at Syracuse. Bringing a championship banner to Madison Square Garden is tough, but bringing a championship home with him could be easier.
