LeBron James is going back to the city where it all began for him. Hate it or love it, you have to admit that watching him next season will be more exciting that it would have been to watch him toil away in Miami for another 2 years or so with an aging core of superstars and role players. And while his exit paved the way for Chris Bosh to cash in, it also paved the way for Carmelo Anthony to do the same. It was rumored that 'Melo had narrowed his options down to two teams; the currently "rebuilding" Knicks team he lobbied to get traded out of Denver for, and the team's former 90's nemesis, the Chicago Bulls. As a long time Knicks fan, (and for that period of time in the 90's, a Bulls hater) that was the last team that I wanted to see Anthony go to if he left NY. Why? For one thing, I love Carmelo's game. Whether he had re-signed with the Knicks or not, I would have still been a fan. Secondly, aside from teaming up with Dwight Howard and James Harden in Houston (another 90's Knicks nemesis), Anthony's chances to compete for a championship would have been about the same in Chicago as they would be if he stayed with the Knicks. He'd still be playing in the weak Eastern Conference that still has LeBron James, just like in the 90's, when the Knicks had to contend with Michael Jordan. If 'Melo had gone to Houston, his chances for a crack at a championship would have increased greatly, due to the fact that Houston is primed for a championship run and that they wouldn't see LeBron in the playoffs until the Finals, where James is favored to return but, realistically, not likely to do this year (even though Vegas has his Cav's as 4-1 favorites to). Again, as a fan of Anthony and his game, I'd hate to seem him leave the Knicks just to toil around for another 3-5 years without a legitimate chance to play for a ring.
Does he have a good chance to compete for that elusive championship in New York? As of right now, the truth is no. The Knicks are in flux, Phil Jackson still has to be creative this year in an effort for the team to at least be competitive this upcoming season and the Knicks need at least one other free agent star player that the team can look to pair up with Anthony. That opportunity probably will not come until the 2015-16 season. So at the very least, 'Melo has a lame duck season coming up that, more than likely, won't see him in the NBA Finals. The Knicks have reportedly offered him a max deal with some "wiggle room" on the front end that should allow them some cap space to go after a marquee free agent in 2015 and to retool the current roster a little bit this year (it has been rescently reported that Anthony's contract is for $124 mil over the next 5 years). Jackson has already moved Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas for cap relief, acquired point guard Jose Calderon and made good use of their draft picks. So for right now, things seem to be moving in the right direction.
But did 'Melo make the right move? Financially, he definitely did. While he didn't sign for the full max of $129 million, the deal he did sign for was more than any other team could have offered him. Chicago could only offer a first year salary of $17 million, and that would have required some pretty nifty manuevering by Chicago's front office to bring him in. A sign and trade would have also been neccessary, but the Knicks wanted no part of that since it probably would have meant taking on Carlos Boozer's expiring contract and possibly another player with a contract that extends past the 2015 season. Also, the uncertainty surrounding Derrick Rose's return from a second major injury didn't provide enough certainty for Carmelo to take less money to try and chase a championship. The Houston Rockets seemed enticing enough for Anthony but the chances of them making the right moves to be in a position to offer the free agent forward a decent enough contract were slim at best. Plus, they had already seemed to move on to try to aquire the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh, who ultimately re-signed with the team.The Lakers made an aggressive push, offering Anthony a max deal of four years and $96 million. But with an aging and rehabbing Kobe Bryant and the possibility of losing Pau Gasol in free agency (which they evetually did, to Chicago, nonetheless), LA seemed like more of a pipe dream at contention than staying with NY would have been. So 'Melo decided on financial stability and Phil Jackson. His championship options weren't any better anywhere else where it was realistic for him to sign, now or in the immeadiate future.
What about the Knicks? Both Anthony and Phil Jackson both expressed the importance of making sure the Knicks were financially able to be players in free agency during the 2015 offseason. Carmelo first stated back in February that he'd be willing to take less money if that meant that Jackson and the Knicks' historically inept front office would use the resources to structure a competitive team around him. Jackson repeatedly made reference to that over the course of the past few months and that, reportedly, irked Anthony to the point where it became a part of his decision making process on whether or not he should stay in New York. The Knicks were said to have offered 'Melo and his representatives 5 different options with the max 5 year $129 option being one of them. Anthony did end up taking a little less money, so it seems that on the money side, the Knicks are trying to do what they said they wanted to do. On the basketball side, though, there are still more questions. Anthony's game, although increasingly more efficient through last season with him taking up more time at the 4 position, is of the heavy isolation variety. Carmelo is an excellent creator off the dribble, which is a necessary dynamic during critical moments, especially during the post season. He's also been pretty effective in pick and roll situations and very efficient on catch and shoot plays. The knock on him, though, has been whether or not he could thrive in the triangle offense that 1st time head coach Derek Fisher will undoubtedly run, at the behest of Jackson. In some circles it has been said that maybe the best thing for the Knicks would have been to let Carmelo sign with another team, let Fisher get his feet wet coaching a team with low expectations this upcoming season and then shoot for the stars on a big time free agent in 2015. That way, they would free up an enormous amount of cap space and could start from scratch and build a contender from the ground up. The only problem there is the Knicks would not have had an attractive star to lure potential free agents to the Big Apple, sort of the way they used Amar'e Stoudemire when they signed him to an unisured $100 million contract back in 2010. With Anthony locked up for the next 5 years, they have their star and they are banking on him being enough to attract the likes of Kevin Durant and possibly Kevin Love and/ or Rajon Rondo if they are still available (which, as of late, it seems like Love is headed to team up with LeBron in Clelveland).
The truth of the matter is both Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks really only had one option, and that was each other. Carmelo forced his way here and the Knicks represent the best case scenario for him and his legacy. If he's able to win here, he'll be the superstar that ended the Knicks 41 year championship drought and he will forever be remembered and revered for it. The Knicks were the only team that could make any type of guarantee, albiet a monetary one. If he'd taken less money to sign with another team, he may have gone to an instant contender but would have been the scapegoat if that team didn't at least reach the Finals. In New York, all he had to do is sign the dotted line and then leave the rest up to Phil. If in the end it doesn't work out, all the blame won't fall on him. As far as the Knicks and Phil Jackson goes, they NEEDED Anthony to re-sign. Anytime you have a legendary scorer like 'Melo on your team, you have to go through whatever is needed to keep him. If he bolts, then you go from there. But if you keep him, then you have to give him the team mates needed to make him successful.
The Knicks skirted danger a bit by offering the max to Carmelo and then structuring a semi max deal to where the bulk of the money comes on the back end. While Phil is a first time executive and has already seen that the 'aura' that he carries with him isn't enough to convinvce even the likes of Steve Kerr (??!!!) to buy into what he's selling, he still is Phil Jackson, holder of 11 Championship rings as a coach. He knows talent and he knows winning. In the end, that's probably why Carmelo stayed. He had to give Phil a chance to make him a winner. While in the end, the Knicks may not send Carmelo and Phil down the Canyon of Heroes like New York legends Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, Mark Messier and Mike Richter or the other New York champions that have had their day, they have a chance to take a good shot at it. It is what it is for the Knicks, as it has always been. They have Anthony as their guy on the court and Phil Jackson as their guy in the front office. The choice was simple to stay together and they did. Whatever comes of it, they will be in it together. As long as James Dolan stays out of they way, this should be a fun ride.
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