The New York Knicks organization have taken a massive step having shipped their star forward Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder and gotten pieces in return, but his former teammates are still not conforming to the fact that he was the most loyal friend they had in the locker room.
Lance Thomas, who has spent two-and-a-half seasons with the team, has grown particularly close with Melo, even being part of this summer's Blackout Sessions with Anthony's trainer Chris Brickley at Life Time Athletic.
The 29-year-old forward wrote a piece in The Players' Tribune, thanking Anthony not just for being a veteran presence in the locker room, but for being a close friend during his stint with the Knicks.
“Melo,
I’ve got a particular definition of what makes a close friend. It’s not defined by how long you’ve known someone, but by the things you’ve been through with them.
With that said, Melo, you are one of my best friends.
Even just writing that down feels kind of crazy, because like a lot of young players in this league I admired your game from afar while I was coming up.
We both have Brooklyn roots, so you were always on my radar. When I was a freshman in high school, I rocked braids just like yours. I watched you completely dominate the NCAA tournament for the ’Cuse. You were so skilled, so dominant. But what impressed me even more was the style you had to your game. It was one of a kind. You played with this joy and confidence, just killing guys with a smile on your face. It made me dream about playing on the same team as you one day, as outlandish as that seemed back then.”
Thomas was traded after being on a 10-day contract, ironically enough, with the Oklahoma City Thunder in Jan. 2015, but despite his low chances to stick around for the remainder of the season, he did.
“It was a dream, of course, being in New York and being on the same team as you. But I also knew it would probably all be very temporary. I did everything I could — in every minute of practice and every second of floor time I got — in order to stick around. I was vocal, I was physical and I just tried to play my heart out.
And you noticed.
You didn’t have to — I was a nobody. Guys on 10-days come through all the time. You had no reason or obligation to look at me twice, because I might have been gone the next day anyhow. But you noticed how hard I was working and you encouraged me to keep grinding.”
Thomas was ultimately appreciative of Anthony's friendship, just like Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, and Willy Hernangomez have expressed in the past, proving that while he was a must-go for the organization, he was surely a must-keep for the ones in the locker room.
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