New York Knicks 2014 Season Preview & News Update: Carmelo Anthony Says He's 'Leagues Most Underrated Superstar'. True? [POLL]

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are all revered NBA Legends because of their ability to put their respected teams on their back and make it to the NBA Finals. Arguments can be made about the surrounding cast of players, but the simple truth is that when it came time for a make or break NBA Finals run, these three players stepped up and made it happen.

Carmelo Anthony naturally would like to be included in this category, except for the fact that in his 11 NBA seasons, his team has advanced past the first round of the playoffs only once. Even Kevin Durant of OKC was able to guide his team to the NBA Finals, but Anthony has never been able to rise above those ranks.

In a half-kidding sort of way, Anthony talked to ESPN's Chris Broussard about his image in relation to being apart of the upper echelon of NBA lore. "I think I'm the most underrated superstar that's out there, but that doesn't matter to me," Anthony told Broussard.

The fact of the matter is that if being 'underrated' didn't affect Anthony then he wouldn't be talking about it. Anthony is bothered and has always been bothered by his inability to lift a team to the next level. At the same time however, his playing style hasn't evolved to be more team oriented, so it's quite possible that he is content to boost his own personal stats. Jordan, Bryan and James all made their surrounding cast better; a feat that Anthony has yet to master.

"I know what I'm capable of doing. I know the grind and the hard work I put in to this," Anthony said. "I know how consistent I've been over my career. To do it day in and day out and night in and night out on a very consistent basis year in year out, I know what I can do and I know the work I've put in."

The common denominator once again in Anthony's statement is the word "I," and the absence of "team." To be fair however, Anthony's salary has always come at such a high margin that teams can hardly afford to keep decent players while also acquiring Anthony. Anthony is truly a 'black hole' that sucks salary cap and the ball alike, until there is hardly anything left for anyone else.