New York Knicks roundtable: The fondest memories of Carmelo Anthony

In the latest New York Knicks roundtable, the Daily Knicks staff looked at their fondest moment of Carmelo Anthony’s time with the team.

Carmelo Anthony‘s time with the New York Knicks ended nearly two years ago. After tumultuous events with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets and remaining without an NBA team, his NBA run might end, as well.

However, Anthony’s time with the Knicks, from 2011-17, created a lasting legacy. While no top-end accolades followed the team in this time, it was still one of the organization’s brightest periods in the past 20 years.

In the latest Daily Knicks roundtable, the staff took a look at their fondest memories of Anthony, with his playing career potentially over:

Anirudh Subramanian: Carmelo Anthony had a good career with the New York Knicks. I think when we look back on it, it was the Knicks organization’s fault to make him something he was not. He was an excellent scorer that lacked other skills like playmaking or defense.

Anthony was never a superstar player but an elite scorer, the Knicks just did not do a good job building around him.

My fondest memory has to be the game where he dropped the franchise-best 62 points against the Charlotte Hornets. That night ‘Melo was unbelievable, hitting shot after shot. He could not be guarded. That night everyone appreciated the gifted scorer he was while breaking Bernard King’s all-time record of 60 points. It was a great night.

Michael Petreski: Carmelo Anthony’s time with the New York Knicks was full of ups and downs but I’d be lying if I said Melo never gave me anything to be happy about. The first game that came to mind was in 2012, against the Chicago Bulls, on Easter Sunday. I will never forget it, at my grandparents’ house watching with my grandpa as the Knicks were down a handful of points in the fourth quarter.

Anthony hit a game-tying shot with 11 seconds on the clock. Then, in overtime, with Luol Deng guarding him, the Knicks legend hit yet another three-pointer sending me and my family into a frenzy as he finished the game with 43 points, and that was my favorite game of Anthony’s.

Rhys Smith: Fondest memory of Anthony as a Knick: leading the Knicks to their last successful season in 2012-13. He was the star of the squad that over-performed by making the second round of the playoffs, finished second in the Eastern Conference and J.R. Smith even won 6th man of the year. To cap it off, Anthony was crowned scoring champion for the season.

Rob Wolkenbrod: The big scoring nights will always stand out, but the first time Anthony arrived at Madison Square Garden as a Knick, after weeks of rollercoaster trade talks, felt special. He received a standing ovation, creating a special moment to welcome him into the Knicks stratosphere. It was the start of something grand, as Anthony created moments that will stick with the fans forever.

Hopefully, for his sake, he can create more lasting moments and leave the NBA on his terms and offset the past two years of difficulties.