Carmelo Anthony is, well, confusing.
The New York Knicks forward has long been criticized for just about everything he does—shooting, defending, shooting, a lack of passing, shooting, his capacity to lead, shooting, his playoff record and shooting. I’ve personally never had a problem with his style of play. Should he pass out of double teams more? Absolutely. But he became a better three-point and spot-up shooter in New York last season, increasing the depth of an already deep offensive arsenal. That was impressive and, for the time being, enough.
What I’ve never been too fond of is his seeming content, no matter the circumstances. If the Knicks win, he’s fine. If they lose, he’s good too. And it’s maddening. I won’t pretend to be inside his head and truth be told, I don’t know what he’s thinking. But some of the things he says just rub you the wrong way, like that guy at the office who lets his hand linger on your shoulder for far too long.
After the Knicks were ousted by the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, ‘Melo once again seemed fine. During the team’s exit interviews, he also seemed OK, refusing to convey any sort of dissatisfaction with how the season ended. And at New York’s media day to kick off the 2013-14 season, it was the same damn story.
“I don’t want to put that pressure on our team, on myself or our guys and say, ‘It’s championship or bust,'” Anthony said, according to CBS Sports’ Ken Berger. “I want us to go out there and just play ball, take it one game at a time, get better and have fun doing that. Because at the end of the day, if we’re all having fun, it will be a successful season.”
Seriously? I can appreciate him wanting the Knicks to just go out and play ball, but I’ve never heard a ringless superstar sound more complacent. Not that ‘Melo had to suggest the sun wouldn’t ever shine again if the Knicks lost. Because it will. New York could fall apart at the seams next season and ‘Melo is still going to be rich and famous. His life is still going to be good.
Yet would it kill him to show some urgency? To rally the troops by acknowledging that anything less than championship or, at the very least, a Conference Finals appearance, isn’t cool?
That’s what gets me about ‘Melo, and I can never tell if it’s an act or if he’s genuinely borderline disinterested. Berger notes that the Knicks guard their players against the media like watch dogs. Everything they say is monitored. So perhaps he was instructed to speak of “fun.”
Or maybe that’s how he really feels, like this season isn’t championship or bust, when he knows full well the outcome of this crusade will determine what he does in free agency.
“My game is not gonna really change much,” he said, per Hoopsworld’s Tommy Beer. “My game is pretty much set in stone…”
Kind of like his expectations are etched in stone. Or stuck in mud. Or completely underwhelming altogether.
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.
