by the time jax surrounds him with quality players it will be years...if ever.. and I'm not so sure Me-Lo will buy in if he has to share the spotlight.... or even godforbid be 2nd fiddle...
How big a role has Carmelo Anthony played in the Knicks' awful season?
Chat with Bud Poliquin
They are 4-18. They have lost 17 of their last 19 games. They've dropped eight consecutive contests. They've been beaten by Detroit (3-18), Minnesota (4-16), Charlotte (5-15), Utah (5-16) and Orlando (9-14), whose cumulative record is 26-79.
They're on a course, a quarter of the way through this wretched campaign, to be the worst Knicks squad in a franchise history that dates back to 1946. Or nearly 70 years. But that's what batting .182 will get you.
And the on-court leader of this mess? It's Syracuse University's own, Carmelo Anthony, who, after signing that five-year, $124-million contract in the off season, is learning that while big money can buy big baubles, it can't protect against big basketball misery.
Averaging 23.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game (while shooting .453 overall and .345 from beyond the arc), Anthony has produced stats for this New York bunch that are virtual mirrors of his career numbers. Which means he's the same guy he's always been.
Now, some folks — including 'Melo, himself — will tell you that he's one of the top, oh, five players in the world. And if the instrument of measure is sheer talent, perhaps a good argument could be made for that assessment.
In terms of impact, though, one must wonder if Anthony is no more than just another splendid baller in a league filled with them.
It's not his fault, of course, that he's stuck on a dead roster and working for a new boss (Phil Jackson) and a new coach (Derek Fisher) in a new offensive system (the celebrated "Triangle"). But superstars have been sentenced to awful teams in transition mode since the dawn of the dribble … and precious few of them ever allowed their groups to win just 18 percent of the time.
In fact, I can't think of one. Can you?
Look, Carmelo Anthony will forever be an Orange icon. The NCAA Tournament title he helped deliver in 2003 sealed that deal. And his $3-million kick-start to SU's basketball palace that bears his name will ensure recruiting bounty for years to come. So, in Central New York he'll be a walk-on-water figure for a long, long time.
But he's a pro now. A Knick. A supposed superstar. And only two teams in the 30-team NBA have worse records than his. And they're not happy down here. They're not happy at all.
LOL LOL
As Mrs. Kintner said to Brody on that Amity Island dock, "I wanted you to know that."