Carmelo Anthony Has Unfinished Business with New York Knicks
Carmelo Anthony has unfinished business with the New York Knicks. He’s not going anywhere until he does what he set out to do: make New York a winner.
The New York Knicks are slowly returning to the point of being a contender in the Eastern Conference. The process is tedious and grueling, but the Knicks have increased their win total by 12 since 2014-15 by drafting Kristaps Porzingis to be the future face of the franchise, and investing in Carmelo Anthony and Robin Lopez as franchise centerpieces.
In a sign that times are getting better, Anthony, Lopez, and Porzingis helped New York achieve something that it hadn’t been able to in more than five years.
Knicks win in Chicago for the first time since Nov 4, 2010.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 24, 2016
Victories like this are exactly why Anthony re-signed with the Knicks.
New York isn’t where it wants to be at 29-43, but it’s in a significantly better place than the 2014-15 squad was. After going 17-65 a year ago, it’s closing in on potentially doubling the win total and positioning itself for an even bigger jump in 2016-17.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, small steps like this add up to why Anthony re-signed with the Knicks in 2014: he’s here to complete his unfinished business.
"“I came here for a reason, which was to win in New York. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case thus far, but I feel like I have unfinished business to take care of,” Anthony said in the interview, which aired at halftime. “And I feel like, I don’t know maybe it’s just me, if I just get up and run away from something that I started, that I feel a part of and that’s not done yet, then I think I would carry that burden on my shoulders.”"
The process may be tedious, but the results are all Anthony cares about.
Anthony temporarily restored New York to greatness in 2012-13 when he led the Knicks to 54 wins and the Atlantic Division title. It was the team’s highest win total since 1997, and the first division title since 1994.
Unfortunately, the Knicks missed the playoffs in the two seasons that followed, and are on pace to do so again in 2015-16.
After back-to-back seasons of declining win totals, however, Phil Jackson has New York on the upswing in 2015-16. A record below .500 is both familiar and disappointing, but the organization is in a much better place than it was in 2013-14 or 2014-15.
Anthony has become an all-around contributor, Lopez and Porzingis have solidified the defensive interior, and all three players are signed for the long-term on affordable deals.
Even Anthony’s max contract is softened in its burden with a rising salary cap that should enable New York to swing for the fences in both 2016 and 2017. Arron Afflalo‘s $8 million player option and Jose Calderon‘s $7.7 million salary could prove to be hurdles, but Jackson has enough cap space to make significant moves.
Seeing this process through and helping the Knicks return to the point of contending is why Anthony stayed all along.
"“I know the reason why I stuck it out, and people that really understand know why I’m sticking it out,” he told reporters in Chicago on Wednesday. “If people want to, I think it’s odd to question loyalty at this point in time, especially when you show — and I’ve showed time and time again my loyalty to not just the organization, but to New York and vice versa. So at this point I just go out there and play basketball. I try not to worry about it.”"
So far, Anthony’s trusting of New York has led to reasonable progress on both his and the team’s respective ends of the agreement.
Much has been said in recent months about Anthony potentially waiving his no-trade clause. What’s becoming abundantly clear is that the only person not thinking about him doing so is Anthony himself.
Anthony wants to win in a Knicks jersey, and until the team returns to the point of relevancy, he will not be satisfied.
Many rumors will surface, but if you ask the man himself, Anthony is in it for the long-haul.