Carmelo Anthony fancies himself a trend-setter.
During an interview with former New York Giants great Michael Strahan for Adweek, Anthony was asked whether LeBron James’ decision to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers influenced his return to the New York Knicks. He, of course, said it was the other way around.
From Newsday‘s Al Iannazzone:
“Honestly, I think it was the other way around,” said Anthony, who is close friends with James. “When I came back home to New York, I’m pretty sure he looked at that moment and saw that was a very special moment and he had an opportunity to go back home himself and regain that love with those fans that kind of disowned him a couple of years ago.
“So he’s at peace now. You could tell he’s at peace.”
That’s sort of an odd response. Anthony’s relationship with the city of New York is so, so different. He didn’t begin his career with the Knicks, nor did he stab them in the back on national television.
Had he left New York for the Chicago Bulls this summer, the situations would have been more similar than they are now. James has been worshiped, hated, then worshiped again by Cavaliers fans; Anthony has experienced no such turbulence with the Knicks faithful. That brief, rumor-riddled period in 2011-12—when he was thought to want Mike D’Antoni and Jeremy Lin out—doesn’t qualify. Spurning the Knicks after waxing loyalty for most of 2013-14 would have.
Perhaps James saw how happy Knicks fans were in 2011 when Anthony arrived and realized the reaction would be that much better in Cleveland. Or, you know, maybe this decision has nothing to do with Anthony’s past.
When evaluating James’ decision against any potential motives, it’s important to ask one question: Would he have left the Miami Heat if they won a third straight NBA championship?
Some won’t hesitate to say his ties to Cleveland stretch deeper than titles. Those people are wrong.
Three championships would have kept LeBron in Miami for at least another year. We cannot pretend that winning doesn’t matter, that this was a completely selfless act borne from LeBron’s tortured, regret-pervaded soul. He came to Cleveland for a better opportunity. He came to Cleveland and the Cavaliers dismantled their rebuild. He came to Cleveland and the team traded for Kevin Love.
All of that factored into his decision, just as much as his undying allegiance to the state of Ohio. If the Cavaliers weren’t in position to trade for Love or significantly improve the roster, LeBron isn’t in Cleveland.
Nothing Anthony himself did or said or continues to say changes that.
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.
