'Melo pays price for financial focus as career wanes
On the whole, Carmelo Anthony has led a platinum life after leading Syracuse to a championship. He has two Olympic gold medals, scored tons of points in the NBA, made salaries approaching $200 million, married a beautiful woman, has a healthy son and carries a decent measure of celebrity in New York. Nobody has any reason to feel sorry for 'Melo.
Except last week, there was one such person: 'Melo.
"I do look at my peers," he said, meaning LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, two others who were plucked from that top-heavy 2003 Draft, "and say, `Damn, what am I doing wrong?' I should be there."
LeBron and Wade have, of course, multiple championships -- five combined between them -- in addition to all the tasty side benefits also enjoyed by 'Melo. And once again, we find them looking down on 'Melo, from a literal standpoint. LeBron and the Cavaliers are leading the East and the favorites to reach the NBA Finals, which would be six straight for him. Wade and the Heat are dealing with the uncertain health of Chris Bosh, also from that '03 Draft, but are top five in the East and could reach 50 wins.
Meanwhile, 'Melo is stuck on a wayward Knicks team that's destined to miss the playoffs for the third straight season, and there's no realistic chance of a quick fix. For the better part of two decades, the Knicks have squandered millions, wasted Draft picks and bungled more than a few trade as questions about the quality of leadership remain their persistent issue. Without a doubt, the bellyaches of the Knicks go well beyond 'Melo.
And yet: When 'Melo asks what he did "wrong," it's interesting how this bit of retrospective comes on the eve of his once-a-season visit to Denver, where the groundwork for his subsequent path and plight was laid, done with his help and approval. Because when you peel away his pain (so to speak) and reach the root of the matter, 'Melo placed a higher value on money than winning. That's why he's busy playing out another dead season in a career that's officially on the other side of the mountain.
Now, let's be clear: Falling in love with money doesn't make 'Melo evil or even greedy. Most every player craves money, and the more, the better. Playing careers are short, injuries can happen, and nobody looks out for players more than the player himself. So you get what you can while you can, and that's a motto that 'Melo the businessman embraced from the get-go.
When LeBron, Wade and Bosh signed their first NBA extensions as a two-year opt-out, 'Melo signed for an additional year. He wanted to enter the free agent market the year after those three, and his reasoning then: "I wanted the money."
He spent seven-plus seasons in Denver, and the Nuggets were a solid playoff team with a good coach (George Karl) and a smart general manager (Masai Ujiri). But that wasn't enough for 'Melo, who quickly established himself as maybe the best pure scorer at the time in the game, someone who commanded a double team nightly. He wanted to build his brand, and thought the best place for 'Melo, Inc. was New York, where his wife could also advance her TV career. Again, nothing wrong with that. He didn't owe the Nuggets anything. He gave them a chunk of his youth.
But rather than wait until summer and leave as a free agent, Melo demanded the Knicks trade for him in February 2011, before the deadline. That way, he could keep his Bird Rights and sign for the maximum. The difference would've been roughly $20 million. By trading for him, the Knicks had to surrender players they could've kept to surround 'Melo, or used in trades. Those assets: Danilo Gallinari (a scorer who was only 22) and Wilson Chandler (only 23) -- both on team-friendly contracts -- a veteran guard (Raymond Felton) and an athletic, young seven-footer (Timofey Mozgov).
The honeymoon was dreamy, anyway. 'Melo quickly proved why he's made for New York. He has charm, a quick smile, thick skin, never takes anything personally, connects with fans and moves freely among the rich and famous while keeping in touch with his humble beginnings in Brooklyn (before moving to Baltimore). He can handle everything the city offers. New York is lucky to have a rare star who aggressively made his way to the big city instead of plotting a way to get out.
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