We'll never know how July 2010 would have looked had Anthony taken the hint and taken the short deal. He might have become the third member of the Heatles or linked up with James in New York or Chicago.
Having denied himself that chance, Anthony instead forced a trade to New York the following year, to join forces with Stoudemire.
Looking back, Anthony can only smile ruefully at the missed opportunity, the missed cues. Once James and Bosh landed with Wade on South Beach, "it was like, 'OK, they knew something,'" Anthony said, chuckling.
Knew something?
"Yeah, they plotted that," he said, still chuckling. "They plotted that."
So, why didn't they tell you?
"I guess they was telling me, in their own way: 'Take the three-year deal.'"
The quote is relayed to James, who affirms, "We were."
IT IS RARE for Anthony?talented, accomplished, immensely prideful?to publicly admit regrets, and he only hints at it now, as he considers the road not traveled. But you sense it, in offhand remarks and intonation and in the anecdotal snippets he chooses to share.
"I fell in love with his game."
"How are we going to play together?"
If he had to do it over again, you have to believe Anthony would have chosen the path that led to LeBron. And that, if the opportunity arose, he might still.
Anthony loves New York, loves the spotlight at Madison Square Garden, loves being a Knick. Despite the losing, the frustration, the backlash. But there may come a breaking point.
The Knicks' failures have become Anthony's burden, though they are not solely his responsibility. The mindless zeal of Garden officials to create a rival Big Three was poorly executed, resulting in a lineup?Anthony, Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler?that was haphazard and ultimately doomed.
The Knicks have had one meaningful season in Anthony's tenure, a 54-win campaign in 2012-13 that happened almost by accident and was clearly unsustainable even as it unfurled. They cratered the next season and are now trudging through another rebuild.
In five years as a Knick, Anthony has played with 70 teammates, for four head coaches and four heads of basketball operations. This isn't what he envisioned, though it shouldn't be surprising, either. Chaos, after all, is what the Knicks do.
Where James chose the stability of Miami and Pat Riley, Anthony tied his fate to Jim Dolan, the maladroit Knicks owner.
Where James chose Wade and Bosh, complementary co-stars, Anthony chose a Knicks team that had just rebuilt around Stoudemire, another scoring-minded forward whose game never meshed with Anthony's.
The cruel truth is that Anthony has repeatedly made career choices that put him in this bind:
? Opting for the five-year deal in 2006, instead of free agency in 2010.
? Forcing a trade to the Knicks in February 2011?a move that cost them four starters and multiple draft picks?instead of waiting to sign as a free agent that summer.
? Choosing to stay with the Knicks in 2014, rather than joining contenders in Chicago or Houston.
? And the contract he signed (a near-max $124 million over five years) has, like the deals before it, increased the difficulty of building a supporting cast.
At every turn, Anthony has chosen financial security?the most years, the most money?over flexibility and a chance to compete at a higher level.
The losing and the criticism have taken an emotional toll, though Anthony insists he is not considering a trade demand or imagining himself in other uniforms or doing anything other than trying to make the Knicks a winner again.
James is enduring his own frustrations in his second tour with Cleveland. But he is still favored to make a sixth straight trip to the Finals, while Anthony is almost certain to miss the playoffs.
Anthony is happy for James. James is concerned for Anthony. But no one is comparing statistics or trophy cases. Friends first, rivals second.
"The only thing that I care about with Melo is when I'm watching the games that he's playing, that he's playing with a smile on his face," James said. "That's it. If Melo got a haircut and a smile on his face, that's when I know he's in a good zone."
James laughed deeply. "He start growing that hair out and that beard out?he ain't feeling too good about himself.
"But when he's playing with that bounce that I've seen since he was 16, and he's playing with that smile that the New York fans see, he's very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very good," James said, his voice rising in pitch. "He's great. He's a great player, man."
All these years later, the mutual admiration remains potent. Whatever their mood, ask James about Anthony or Anthony about James, and you will get a smile, a story, a spirited endorsement.
Decisions have been made, trades forced, contracts signed, fates chosen, taking the teen stars down starkly different paths. The bond endures. The vision of a James-Anthony partnership does, too.
"I really hope that, before our career is over, we can all play together," James said. "At least one, maybe one or two seasons?me, Melo, D-Wade, CP?we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that."
Maybe at the end of their careers, James said. Maybe sooner. One more ring chase, this time with everyone on board.
"It would be pretty cool," James said. "I've definitely had thoughts about it."
Before bounding away, he smiles and closes with a coy chirp: "We'll see."
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