Carmelo Anthony opens up about why he ‘feels’ for Knicks like Julius Randle
Now that Carmelo Anthony has made his retirement official, the former New York Knicks forward has had the time to reflect on his 19-year career that started in Denver and ended in Los Angeles.
His time in New York started out on a high when the Knicks completed a trade for him with the Nuggets, the team that drafted Melo No. 3 overall in 2003. He helped to put Denver back on the basketball map, and ironically on the same day that he announced his retirement, the Nuggets secured their first NBA Finals berth in franchise history.
Obviously, playing for a small-market team in Denver was completely different than playing in New York where everyone’s eyes are on you. Melo can attest to that, and looking back, he’s thankful that he no longer is being criticized by Knicks fans and media.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Chris Herring, Melo went into depth about why he “feels” for big-name Knicks players. He didn’t mention Julius Randle directly, but he gave enough to make it known that he was talking about players like Randle.
"“Now I can wake up and say, ‘Damn, [thank goodness] they ain’t talking about me!’ I can sit back and rest,” he says. “I felt it for all those years, but being on the other side of it, I have a different perspective now. I see what’s gotta happen from a media perspective, but I feel for the athletes.”"
Carmelo Anthony says playing for Knicks “felt like more of a survival stage”
Carmelo Anthony had a bad break-up with the Nuggets that led to him being booed each time he returned to Denver. He then went to New York, where his every move was analyzed under a microscope. He said that two of his top career moments happened as a Knick (his first game in MSG and his 43-point Easter game), but even Knicks fans can understand the price that a player like Melo had to pay in New York.
Look no further than Julius Randle. After leading the Knicks back to the playoffs in 2021, he disappointed in 2021-22 in a season that resulted in New York missing the play-in tournament. He was getting booed by Knicks fans at MSG and during the offseason, a majority of the fanbase wanted to see him traded. However, the front office remained confident in Randle and he put out career-high numbers in 2022-23 that resulted in him being named an All-Star again, as well as being named All-NBA, too.
After another rough playoff outing, fans have resulted to wanting to see Randle traded, and that’s something that can be understood. As it’s been said time and time again, Randle would likely do better in a smaller market where his every move isn’t critiqued. That isn’t to say that he hasn’t deserved to be critiqued because his lack of effort during parts of the Knicks’ playoff run was concerning, but it feels like he’s already reached his New York ceiling.
Being the star in NYC comes at a price, and Melo understands that. Julius Randle’s time may or may not be up this offseason, but even if it’s not, maybe one day he’ll look back and share similar sentiments to Carmelo Anthony.
