Well this is encouraging.
Most of the NBA’s regular season is dedicated to the games being played, to the teams that are winning, the teams that are losing and the championship stakes at hand. Another part of it, however, is spent dancing around free agency. Where will the biggest names land? Who will and who won’t opt out of their contract? Which free agents will be overpaid? Where on earth is Carmen San Diego? Those are just a few of the questions being asked on a yearly basis.
This year, it changes. The impending free-agency class is more talented than usual. Names like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Kobe Bryant are slated to hit the open market. Oh, Carmelo Anthony too. He can terminate the last year of his contract with the New York Knicks and become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
Knowing that ‘Melo has never had the opportunity to be courted the way LeBron was in 2010, and knowing he’s still without a championship to his name, it makes sense that he would keep his options open. If the Knicks fail to win a title next season, it makes even more sense that he would be a flight risk, someone who may leave for a superteam if presented with the chance.
As such, the entire year would be spent wondering what he was thinking. Would he stay? Would he go? Does he have The Clash on repeat? The uncertainty would kill us. Well, not actually kill. More like make extra work for us scribes. Senseless rumors would abound as peeps partook in revolving guessing games.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucyy1J7zCqg
Anthony, however, has taken some of the guess work out of the equation, something prospective free agents don’t usually do. When they’re asked about the future, they normally offer a b.s. response, one that doesn’t answer the question. They deflect. They do everything possible to avoid saying the wrong thing while also ensuring they don’t tip their hand or say anything they’ll regret later.
Not ‘Melo, though. Asked on Bloomberg Television’s Market Makers about his future in New York, he presented no smokescreens, deflections or anything like that. He instead committed to the Knicks.
“I’m not going nowhere,” he said, according to Newsday‘s Al Iannazzone.
Just like that, ‘Melo broke the cardinal rule of free agency.
The first rule of free agency is that you never, ever talk about what you’re going to do in free agency. The second rule of free agency, is that you never, ever talk about what you’re going to do in free agency. The third rule of free agency, is that you never, ever sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. And so on and so forth.
‘Melo paid attention to no such rules. While there are those who will be quick to point out he could’ve been speaking in double negatives, I don’t think this was that premeditated an answer. And for those who will argue he could change his mind, well, I agree with you.
Nothing ‘Melo says now is etched in stone. More like vapor. He could go back on these words in approximately 10 months time. Technically, he may not even hit free agency at all. He has the right to opt in for one more year. Perhaps that’s what he was referring to.
Or maybe he was just being honest. New York is where he wanted to be. Is it so ridiculous to believe he already knows he wants to stay?
There are plenty of reasons for him to leave, some of which I’m sure resonate with him. None of those matter right now, it seems. ‘Melo says he isn’t going anywhere, and I believe him. Though we’ll be obligated to monitor the situation all year long, look to those words whenever you or someone else thinks they know something they really don’t.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
