Mike Woodson is history, Phil Jackson has a lot of work to do and Carmelo Anthony—well, he wants to be Dwight Howard.
Okay, then.
On the same day the New York Knicks parted ways with their embattled head coach, Sporting News’ Sean Deveney (h/t Bleacher Report) brought word that Anthony is looking for a free-agency experience similar to what Howard had last summer:
“He wants to be in a situation where he can start winning, and he is going to look at teams based on that,” the source said. “Coaching is only a part of the equation. What they do now is not going to be as important as can they win?”
Free agency opens on July 1, and, the source said, Anthony would like, “the Dwight Howard treatment.” That means he wants to go through the same sort of process that Howard went through last summer, when Howard set up shop in Los Angeles and set up meetings with five teams—Houston, the Lakers, Dallas, Golden State and Atlanta—each of whom came in and made formal presentations.
Surprise, surprise. A star NBA player wants control of his own destiny while having his ego stroked like a pet cat.
There’s nothing really wrong with that. If only we could all be so lucky to be wined and dined by teams begging and pleading with us to take tens of millions of dollars over the next four to five years. Good for Anthony.
Bad for the Knicks.
The NBA’s salary cap is already expected to be higher than initially projected, and while the difference will be inconsequential, it could become significant when paired with this.
Anthony’s desire to bask in the Dwight Howard experience would be concerning if true. The Dwight Howard experience saw Dwight Howard leave the Los Angeles Lakers for the Houston Rockets in a haze of very Dwight Howard happenings. If Anthony wants to relive Superman’s free-agency excursion right down to the dotted line, it’s bad news for the Knicks, who are known to want Anthony back in New York.
But this is hardly the nail in the coffin. Anthony has skillfully evaded giving direct answers with regard to his future plans, but he’s been up front this entire season about wanting to explore free agency, even before the Knicks’ stocked plummeted into the depths of hell. He wants this experience. He hasn’t had it yet. He wants to be courted; he wants to be wanted.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, he also wants to win. Next season, even with a new coach, the Knicks don’t figure to be legitimate championship contender. They’ll most likely have an identical roster. The ceiling on their potential will be limited, though admittedly higher than it was this past season. Unless Jackson is able to strike a miraculous trade, the Knicks will sell Anthony on their projected cap space in 2015.
Even though the Knicks aren’t the ideal team right now, they have the inside track on re-signing Anthony. They can offer him one year and $30-plus million more than any other team. While winning matters, so does money.
Anthony may seek the Dwight Howard treatment in free agency, but he’s still more likely to take the Knicks’ money rather than pull a Superman-style vanishing act.
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.
