I COULDA BEEN A CONTENDAH!
Melo wonders if he’ll ever win with Knicks as team opens road trip with loss to Clips
LOS ANGELES — The days of Carmelo Anthony saying “I believe in Phil” are long gone. That slogan is now as old as the Knicks last playoff appearance. In fact, Anthony is so far removed from competing for a championship that on Monday he admitted that he questions whether that will ever happen again for him in New York. “Honestly, I think about it a lot,” he said when asked whether he wonders if he will ever be part of a winner in New York. The Knicks began a four-game road trip on Monday with a 114-105 loss to the Clippers, a team that talked to the Knicks prior to the trade deadline about a possible deal for Anthony. They’re now 27-43 after loss in which Anthony scored 16 points while playing just 26 minutes. Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose each scored 18. The Knicks trailed by as many as 25 in the third quarter but with the Clippers resting their starters in the final period the Knicks closed to within eight with 1:28 remaining. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 30 points on 19 shots while Chris Paul added 13 points and 13 rebounds in just 29 minutes. Los Angeles improved to 42-29 overall with the win and have now won 10 straight over the Knicks, including the February game in New York that was best remembered for Charles Oakley being forcibly removed from the Garden. Even Anthony acknowledged that “there was an opportunity during the deadline” to join his good friend Paul in Los Angeles. Instead, Anthony remains with the Knicks and is headed for a fourth straight season without reaching the postseason, something he never believed would happen. Anthony and the Knicks are at a crossroads. An amicable divorce may be the best option for both parties. And when the Knicks play their final game next month, they’ll head into another summer of uncertainty and constant trade rumors, featuring Anthony. “I try to put everything into perspective,” he added. “I think about it. I think about here, I think 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.” Ultimately, it is Anthony’s call whether to stay or leave. He negotiated a no-trade clause into his contract extension with the Knicks and therefore has veto power over any potential deal. The feeling is that Knicks president Phil Jackson, who attended Monday’s game at Staples Center, would prefer to move on from Anthony.
In an odd twist, it could be Jackson’s mismanagement that leads Anthony to re-consider his future. In recent weeks Anthony has expressed frustration over the state of the club.
On Monday, Anthony, who enjoys living and playing in New York, expressed his fondness for southern California where he also owns a home. Regardless of how the Clippers season ends there is a strong possibility that they will reach out to the Knicks again about acquiring Anthony.
“Over the years I’ve grown to like it,” Anthony said of living part-time in Los Angeles. “I think as you get older you start looking for places where you can kind of relax and enjoy it, you know, the family can be good. I think over the years this is, L.A. has been the place where my family feels comfortable at.”
Anthony says he was unable to connect with LeBron James despite the Cavs being in town over the weekend to play both the Clippers and Lakers. LeBron of course is gearing up for another run at an NBA title.
Paul and the Clippers, if healthy, could be a factor in the Western Conference while Anthony’s other good friend, Dwyane Wade, is struggling to stay in playoff contention with the Chicago Bulls. Wade, however, has won three NBA titles.
Anthony had made the playoffs ever year of his career up until three seasons ago. Now, getting an early vacation has become the norm for him and the Knicks.
“I want to be there,” Anthony said about playing in the postseason. “So I don’t have to look at somebody else’s situation and say oh, I miss that or I want that or I need that. Like, it is what it is. That’s a part of who I’ve — over my 14 years — I’ve made myself part of that. Pride myself on that, in wanting to be in those situations.”