Despite putting up stellar individual numbers, Carmelo Anthony has not experienced much success during his tenure with the New York Knicks. They've had their moments but the Knicks have frankly been a mediocre or simply bad team with Anthony as their No. 1 star.
That's not all on Anthony though. The Knicks have had problems building a roster to compliment Anthony and have cycled through a slew of coaches in the past couple of seasons. Injuries to key role players have also been a factor, but overall the Knicks have been mired in losing due to poor roster construction and at times, inadequate coaching. Team president Phil Jackson has a hand in all of this as well, and his constant behind-the-scenes maneuvering to get Anthony traded and insistence on the implementation of the triangle offense hasn't helped matters either.
Unsurprisingly, with the Knicks having their fourth straight losing season, Anthony is beginning to truly question if he can win it all with the Knicks — a fair question to consider, especially when Anthony's good friends and fellow banana boat riders, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade have all experienced much more success with their respective teams. But Anthony isn't constantly comparing himself to his friends or even motivated by their success.
From ESPN's Jovan Buha:
Asked if his peer group's achievements make him feel like he's missing out, Anthony said he doesn't need to compare himself to his pals to yearn for playoff competition.
“No, not even that,” Anthony said at shootaround Monday, ahead of the Knicks' matchup with Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers. “Not even because of that point that you just made. I think it's more for kind of just me, and the competitor that I am, the person that I am. I want to be there. I don't have to look at someone else's situation and say, ‘Oh, I miss that, or I want that, or I need that.'”
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Anthony, 32, says he has been forced to reflect on his future with the Knicks, including whether he can ever win in New York.
“Honestly, I think about it a lot,” Anthony said. “I try to put everything into perspective. I think about it all. I think about here. I think about the postseason. I think about my teammates. I just think about everything. It's not just one specific thing that I think about. I think about it a lot. I try to put everything into perspective.
“I try to hear other people's advice, other people's take on it. But at the end of the day, it's on me.”
Dwelling on the success of others in relation to the negatives on your life will only put you in a negative frame of mind, so kudos to Anthony to have the mental fortitude to, as he says, be a “competitor.” But his honesty about the Knicks is far more interesting, especially since he was rumored to be on the trade block earlier in the season.
Anthony has a no-trade clause and basically controls his own destiny. If Anthony decides that he truly can't win with the Knicks, then that will prompt Jackson to actively seek a willing trade partner. Anthony however, has always talked highly of living in New York and how much his family enjoys being in the city, so he has to weight his options and decide what is most important to him.
This could potentially be another interesting summer for Anthony and the Knicks, especially if he decides that he wants to be traded. It's all up to Anthony though and it is a decision he won't take lightly.
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