The New York Knicks are pausing the trade negotiations centered around Carmelo Anthony. What would the benefits be of keeping Anthony?
Perhaps the most incessant rumor on the open market is that the New York Knicks are attempting to trade Carmelo Anthony. Phil Jackson may be out as team president, but Steve Mills hasn’t shied away from his desire to move Anthony.
After perusing the trade market, however, it appears as though Mills and the Knicks are reevaluating their stance on the matter.
Anthony is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause for a move to either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Houston Rockets. After nearly a month of negotiations, however, the Knicks appear to be warming up to the idea of keeping Anthony in New York.
According to Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Knicks are hoping to sit down with Anthony and discuss the possibility of him staying in New York.
"The New York Knicks are pausing trade talks centered on Carmelo Anthony and want to pursue a conversation with the 10-time NBA All-Star about possibly reincorporating him into the organization, league sources told ESPN."
That’s a massive change of tune from an organization that appeared hell-bent on trading Anthony mere days ago.
Anthony, 33, is coming off of a season during which he made his 10th career All-Star Game appearance. He’s become the most polarizing athlete in New York City, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s without supreme value.
The question is: What would the benefits be of the New York Knicks bringing Carmelo Anthony back for the 2017-18 season?
5. One Last Chance
Keeping Carmelo Anthony on the roster would be equal parts PR work, human decency, and basketball evaluation. The desire for a youth movement is one of the most sensible visions the front office has produced in quite some time, but there’s another short-term route to follow.
Anthony only has so much left in the tank at 33 years of age, but New York could do some damage control by giving him one last chance to resurrect the Knicks.
The obvious hurdle here is that New York has disregarded the type of veteran free agents who could help Anthony win in 2017-18. That’s somewhat justifiable, however, when one considers the contracts that have been handed out.
George Hill and Jeff Teague received three-year deals worth $57 million, and Jrue Holiday was handed a five-year contract worth $126 million.
Knowing that to be true, New York dodged a proverbial bullet by not handing out a massive contract to a point guard it may not build around. Having said that, there are still ways New York can build around Anthony on a short-term basis.
There are still veterans on the roster, and with a last-ditch effort to sign a quality free agent in 2017, the Knicks could give Anthony one last chance.
4. Scoring Proficiency
Until further notice, Carmelo Anthony is no longer an elite scorer. He has an elite skill set from a scoring perspective, however, and that can still be utilized to both put points on the board and alleviate pressure from his teammates.
With a system that he’s willing to buy into, it stands to reason that Anthony could make it to 15 consecutive seasons with an average of at least 20.0 points per game.
Head coach Jeff Hornacek is confident that Kristaps Porzingis will make a leap during his third NBA season. There’s certainly rationale behind that belief, but Porzingis is still a developing player who may not yet be ready for 18-to-20 shots per game.
Even if he is, Porzingis will face growing paints—growing pains that could be lessened and lightened by the presence of a legitimate No. 2 scoring threat.
If Anthony is willing to check his ego, he could be the No. 2 scorer who enables Porzingis to develop into the scorer he’s capable of becoming. He’d still command the attention of the opposition’s best perimeter defender, which would create superior spacing.
There’s no guaranteeing that Anthony would take on a No. 2 role, but whether he’s the featured or secondary scoring option, he can still be of aid.
3. A Weakened Eastern Conference
One could argue that the only one Eastern Conference team became stronger through free agency. That team, the Boston Celtics, signed Gordon Hayward to build upon already being the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
With Jimmy Butler and Paul George traded out West, it stands to reason that the bottom of the postseason standings will be up for grabs with Chicago and Indiana likely to decline.
With a realistic opportunity to make a run at a postseason appearance in 2017-18, the New York Knicks could keep Carmelo Anthony on the roster. Anthony gives New York its best chance to win now, and it has an open window to do so.
If the Knicks were to even finish the 2016-17 season at .500, it stands to reason that Jeff Hornacek could make his first postseason appearance as a coach.
By making the playoffs, the Knicks would create early exposure for its core players: Willy Hernangomez, Frank Ntilikina, and Kristaps Porzingis. No one knows how ready they are until they make it, and a trip to the postseason would help the young players grow.
The question is: Would it be worth making a run to the playoffs with Anthony’s closing window and a lack of the necessary talent to compete for a championship?
2. Jeff Hornacek’s System
When Jeff Hornacek took over as head coach of the New York Knicks, many were excited to see how he’d orchestrate a new-look offense. In 2016-17, however, he struggled to find a delicate balance between his own offense and Phil Jackson’s desired system.
In 2017-18, Hornacek will be able to run his own offense—an opportunity that could yield ideal results with Carmelo Anthony in the fold.
It’s worth noting that Anthony and Hornacek had an, “Expletive-filled,” encounter at halftime of a game against the Brooklyn Nets. Anthony cursing out his coach in front of teammates could be interpreted as unacceptable, and it could also create a burnt bridge.
If Anthony and Hornacek are on the same page, however, their combined offensive brilliance could result in resounding success.
When Hornacek took the job, he expressed how excited he was to have a scorer of Anthony’s caliber. In 2017-18, he could outline exactly what it is that Anthony is expected to do—and subsequently bench him if he goes outside the system on too consistent a basis.
This could both be a golden opportunity for Anthony and a rare chance for Hornacek to establish just how much power he has over the organization.
1. A Message To Free Agents
It would be difficult to justify winning in 2017-18, losing Carmelo Anthony a year later, and then having a core of three players who may or may not become stars. It would also be difficult to justify trading Anthony and then hoping free agents will consider New York again.
By keeping Anthony around for another season, the Knicks would send a message to prospective free agents: The mistreatment of players will not be tolerated.
By parting ways with team president Phil Jackson, the New York Knicks made it clear that team morale was important. That may have been a mere PR move, but it was the beginning of a turnaround from a free agency perspective.
By keeping Anthony in the fold for another season, it may just be enough to convince free agents that New York is no longer toxic.
Trading Anthony would mean getting a healthy return that could help reshape the future of the organization for the better. An issue may still be free agency, however, as Anthony is one of the more well-liked players in the NBA.
By keeping him around, New York would smooth things over with Kristaps Porzingis and answer the question of whether it’s Carmelo Anthony or the New York Knicks that are the true problem.
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The question is: How much longer will Carmelo Anthony be a member of the New York Knicks?