Schmeelk in the Stands: Not So Melo
By John Schmeelk
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All this talk about Carmelo Anthony trades this weekend will really come down to one thing – where does Anthony want to go? Assuming the Nuggets come to their senses and realize the four way trade offer is the best they'll get, it's all on Carmelo Anthony.
It's a brave new world in the NBA where the players realize they control their own destiny in so many ways. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh flexed their muscles this offseason and went to Miami, sacrificing some money along the way. That's where Carmelo Anthony stands now. If he really wants to be a Knick, he'll wait until next offseason and sign as a free agent, even if it means sacrificing money. If the Nets plus a max extension is good enough, that's where he'll wind up.
Anthony's arrival and quotes at media day today is simply another effort to manipulate the situation to wind up where he wants to go. Despite the obvious fact that he wants out of Denver, Anthony stated he never asked for a trade. The proposed four way trade that would land him with the Nets, not one of his preferred destinations, is not something he wants to have to commit to now. He would rather wait and see if the Knicks or Bulls jump in on the trade talk later on in the season. If the trading deadline comes and the Knicks and Bulls still aren't interested, then Anthony can agree to an extend and trade with another team, or simply become a free agent. There's no harm in him waiting it out and giving his preferred suitors as many chances as possible to acquire him. I don't believe the rumors than Anthony will hold out of camp in an effort to force a trade now.
As everyone starts to wonder about the impact of Anthony's decision, let's examine his thought process. Leaving Denver in itself is a strange decision. The Nuggets went to the Western Conference Finals two years ago, and last season they won 53 games. They lost a tough 7 game series to the Jazz in the first round, but were without their head coach. It was a disappointing season, but not a terrible one. George Karl's health is a concern, and so is the team's chemistry with a knucklehead like JR Smith, but that shouldn't be enough to make a player of Anthony's caliber upset enough to demand a trade from a 50 win team.
A second red flag is the list of teams on the top of his wish list. The Knicks and Bulls, in that order, sit on top. But there were also rumors that the Clippers would be a feasible place for him to play as well. Those are all big cities where a player can really be a star and become a celebrity. His wife can also pursue her acting career. Is that Anthony's real goal here, or is it winning a championship? Say what you want about LeBron, but at least he went to a situation where he has a great opportunity to win a championship.
Adding Anthony to the Bulls would make them a serious contender. The Knicks would become a 50 win team. A Nets team with little else besides him and Brook Lopez would barely be a playoff team. And bluntly, anyone who would rather be with the Clippers than the Nuggets has no interest in winning championships.
The point I'm getting at here is that there just seems to be something missing with Carmelo Anthony. The numbers might be right there with LeBron, Wade, and Kobe but he's not in their class. I don't think he's better than Kevin Durant either. Anthony's intangibles and character should be a huge question mark to anyone that looks to acquire him.
Anthony did not lead the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs last year, and he let the team fracture under head coach Adrian Dantley. His coach needed him and he didn't deliver. Anthony made no effort to corral JR Smith and turned on his teammates when the chips were down, complaining that his teammates weren't helping him enough to win. It was a pathetic display.
There's no debating Anthony's ability to score. There are few better. He can shoot the jumper, drive it to the hole, and post up. When he's on, he can be unstoppable. But the rest of his game has serious holes. He is not a great passer, will turn it over, and force shots. More often than not he is an unwilling, and unenthusiastic defender. Sure, he CAN defend if he wants to, but he rarely wants to. He's gotten better in these areas as he has gotten older (and he's only 26), but there's still a lot left to be desired.
Then there's the off the court stuff, with his DUI and appearance in a rap video that threatened people who cooperated with police. Both those incidents happened a few years ago when he was younger and less mature, and they are much less of a concern than his on the court deficiencies.
Carmelo Anthony simply lacks a lot of the qualities that makes a player an ideal leader and alpha-dog of a championship team. Anthony is no sure thing to lead anyone to a championship. He has only gotten out of the first round of the playoffs once with a team that has pretty good talent. His team tends to trend towards his negative qualities – lack of ball movement, bad shot selection and a complete lack of defense.
Carmelo Anthony is a very good NBA player, but he isn't a great one, not yet. He won a National Championship at Syracuse, so he has a clue, but he just isn't there yet. He's a A+ scorer and he will help a team win, but missing out on him is not as bad as missing out on LeBron. Buyers beware.
Schmeelk's Snippets
- Don't worry, I'm all over the Knicks training camp opening and will have something on it in a couple of days – as long as something doesn't happen with the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes.
- Remember what I said a month ago – the longer this thing drags on the better it is for the Knicks. If the Nuggets decide to move him now, unless Anthony refuses to sign an extension, the Knicks are finished. But in the end, like I said above, it's going to be up to Anthony. If he really wants to come to the Knicks, all he needs to do is wait until free agency and sign outright. He'll also be joining a nice team with a full roster and another star like Amar'e Stoudemire. But just imagine how bad the Knicks defense will be with both Anthony and Stoudemire starting? Yikes.
- Eddy Curry was struggling in conditioning drills and might have tweaked a hamstring on day two of camp. In other news, Yankees and Red Sox fans don't like each other. I know, it's all surprising and shocking stuff.
You can follow me on twitter for various NBA and sports musings at: http://twitter.com/Schmeelk
