JAMES’ FREE ADVICE FOR MELO
Knicks star should opt to be ‘happy’
HE’S ONLY 29, but LeBron James is already an authority on a number of subjects, from NBA free agency to winning championships to the marketing of Johnny Football.
So when James offered his free advice to buddy Carmelo Anthony on what to do this summer i n free agency before the Knicks’ surprising 102-92 win over the Heat on Thursday, it was certainly noteworthy.
Here was James, whose jersey was burned in effigy when he left Cleveland for Miami in 2010, offering his own perspective to Anthony, who has said he will opt out of his contract this summer and test the free agent market.
James, who finished with 32 points and six assists but turned the ball over a game-high six times, had some simple advice for Anthony. While it wasn’t earth-shattering, it spoke to James’ priorities and could expose Anthony for what he ultimately deems important based on his future decision.
“Whatever makes him happy,” James said before the game of the advice he would give Anthony. “You have to do whatever makes (you) happy at the end of the day. If you’re happy, the game of basketball is going to be fun for you. Strive to be great every day and you can live with whatever else happens. So we’ll see.”
James took less money to come to Miami in July of 2010, opting for the chance to win multiple titles instead of re-signing with Cleveland in free agency. If he had stayed in Cleveland, James would have likely become what Anthony is now with the Knicks — a one-man army. Would James recommend that other players, such as Anthony, do the same — take less money to get more wins?
“I recommend it to me,” James said. “It fit me. What I do don’t work for everybody, and the way I live my life doesn’t work for everybody. But all I care about is winning. I came to Miami to win. And money didn’t make me happy — winning made me happy. It still does. At the end of the day that’s what mattered to me.”
James was asked what winning a championship would do for Anthony, since the Knicks star is often criticized for not making his teammates better.
“Well I know he wants to win and I know he can win,” James said. “We was all able to accomplish in 2008 and 2012 for the (U.S.) Olympic team (winning gold), and his role was huge. You want to win. This is what we’re here for. We’re in this league to win. You dream about winning a championship and you just try and figure out how to do it. There’s so many great teams, so many great players that it can become challenging at times and we’ll see what happens.”
James can also test free agency in the offseason, but he hasn’t allowed that story line to dominate the season, like it has for Anthony. He blamed the New York media for making it an issue with Anthony.
“You see me? I don’t talk about it,” James said. “It’s easier because I’m in Miami and he’s in New York and the New York media is a little bit different than it is in Miami. You guys don’t take no for an answer, so I don’t have to deal with that.”
James doesn’t want to deal with the crowds and the bedlam the Super Bowl will cause, either. James plans to return to Miami after the Heat visits the Knicks on Feb. 1, the day before the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium.
“I don’t want to be here for that,” James said. “It’s going to be so crowded here. It’s probably going to be cold as heck so I’m going back to Miami to some pretty decent weather.”
James also confirmed that former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel will likely work with his marketing firm, LRMR, that is run by close friend Maverick Carter.
James revealed that he and Manziel texted often during the football season.
“They reached out to me when he was going through the offthe-field things,” James said. “When an opportunity was brought to me, I told him if he’s willing to listen, if he’s willing to take my advice then I’m willing to give it. And he was all for it, and throughout this season I would text him weekly, before the games, after the games and I didn’t know it would lead to us being together now as far as business but I was happy to help him.”
So will he now help Anthony as well?