Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: Why Melo Should Leave the New York Knicks
- Damon Salvadore
- Apr 19, 2014 04:05 PM EDT
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Drafted No. 3 overall, a scoring champion, and a seven time NBA All-Star, Carmelo Anthony has had little experience in the winning department in his NBA career thus far.
There's no doubt Anthony is a Top 10 player in the league, who is one of the most versatile scorers when the ball is in his hands, but he may want to look for a better supporting cast if he wants to win his first NBA Championship.
This upcoming offseason, Carmelo Anthony has a $23,742,225 option for next season. That's a lot of money. But how bad does Anthony want his first ring? With LeBron James winning back to back titles and Kevin Durant already having more postseason success than him, Anthony might have to leave the franchise that hasn't won a title since 1973.
Sorry Knicks fans.
It's been well documented that Anthony wants to play in a big market location and he loves playing in New York City, but he has many other options. In his 11 seasons in the NBA, Anthony has only won three playoff series.
The Chicago Bulls would be a perfect fit for Anthony. The Bulls are coached by one of, if not the best coach in the business, Tom Thibodeau. Anthony still has some flaws in his game (mostly defense and passing) and Thibodeau would be a terrific mentor. Chicago may not be the Big Apple, but the Windy City is certainly considered a "big market" setting, which should please Anthony. Anthony may be hesitant to choose the Bulls because of Derrick Rose's health, but this team is still good without Rose. With or without Rose, this Bulls team would be title contenders with Carmelo Anthony.
There's even the Los Angeles Clippers. Unlikely, because of salary issues and the Clippers' payroll, but Anthony may show interest. Anthony does spend a lot of his off-seasons in Los Angeles and he probably wouldn't mind receiving passes from all star point guard and friend, Chris Paul. The other team in Los Angeles has sparked rumors as well, but why go to the Lakers when they're rebuilding and you can choose to play for the better team in the same city?
Anthony has already made it clear he "does not want to rebuild, but he does want to stay in New York." That's where we've got a problem. Newly acquired Knicks President of Basketball Operations, Phil Jackson, is going to completely restructure this Knicks franchise from the bottom up. Expect new players, a new coach, and old players leaving during this upcoming off-season for the blue and orange. Jackson is an all-time great head coach, who has won 11 NBA Championships, but he hasn't shown anything yet as a team president. The last time the Knicks won the NBA Finals, in 1973, Jackson was on the roster as a forward. Don't expect Jackson to suit up again.
If Anthony wants to stay and be a part of a 2-3 year rebuilding process and make more money, then stay. If he wants to accept less money and join a great team, then he should seek teams elsewhere.
It's not completely his fault, but with just three playoff series wins under his belt in 11 seasons, it's obvious Anthony needs more help. He's not the transcendent player like LeBron James is, where he can make everyone around him better. His failure to adapt to other players (Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin) has shown off. And again, there's no certainty with Jackson, who is almost 70 years old. Jackson won't be coaching, calling plays, making on-court decisions, or even flying with the team on many occasions.
Anthony has a lot of decisions to make this off-season.
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