Following an offseason of ramped speculation, Carmelo Anthony is still a New York Knick. With training camp steadily approaching and a brand new season inching ever closer, there are sure to be plenty of questions for him. Is he disappointed? Did he still expect to be in New York? How much longer will he don orange and blue?
Though it appeared as though the dust was starting to clear, the media may not have the opportunity to ask him these very questions. According to Frank Isola, the star forward’s camp is “cautiously optimistic” that a deal will get done by Monday, the same day the players will meet with the media for the first time to open up the new campaign.
If Anthony happens to be present, the same aforementioned questions will need to be asked. Should Anthony depart the Big Apple by then, well, everyone around the Knicks will finally receive the answers they have been looking for all summer long. A trade would speak volumes.
Still, the fact that the organization is yet to pull the trigger on a deal for Anthony means they haven’t found something that is mutually beneficial for both sides (Anthony and his, perhaps soon to be former, team) just yet. The ten-time NBA all-star only has eyes for Houston, but Rockets forward Ryan Anderson’s contract continues to be a deterrent for the Knicks, especially with Houston intent on moving it upon taking on a contract like Anthony’s in return.
New York may be holding out, or desperately searching, for a third team to help them complete the deal by taking on Anderson’s contract in return instead. That seems to be a very reasonable sticking point, especially as the organization looks to embrace its youth, start fresh, and build for the future. They need assets and flexibility, neither of which acquiring Anderson will provide them with. They’ve been smart and patient (notably at Anthony’s expense) as they wait for a better deal, even if it may never come. Nevertheless, parting ways with Anthony at this point would mean that the Knicks hold simply not having him on the team (i.e., addition by subtraction) in higher regard that actually reeling in something of value back in return.
If Anthony is still a Knick come next week, the situation is going to become a distraction and that’s becoming abundantly clear with media day creeping up on the Knicks. They may decide that this isn’t something they want to deal with, regardless of the cost at this point. If New York brass deals Anthony before Monday, it’ll be a matter of cutting their losses, moving on, and not looking back. Such an abrupt decision would certainly not benefit the organization in the long run.
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