Carmelo Anthony believes in the New York Knicks.
Do you?
Doesn’t matter if you do, truthfully. It won’t be to the extent that he apparently believes in them.
Speaking with reporters, New York’s lone superstar, the one who, per various offseason reports, doubted their immediate direction at some point or another, refused to buy into this notion that the Knicks are rebuilding without competing.
From ESPN.com’s Ian Begley:
Don’t tell Carmelo Anthony the New York Knicks aren’t competing for a title this season.
“S—, we’re competing. People might not believe that, but we’re definitely competing for that,” Anthony said after training camp practice on Wednesday. “That’s always going to be the goal. Whether we get there or not depends on us and what we’re doing. That’s always our big-picture goal.”
Look, on some level, he has to say that. He can’t pout and admit “Hey! We sucked last season. And we’re probably going to suck again. Compete for a championship? Shit, I’m just hoping that if we suck, we’ll suck less than last season.”
Training camps are also a time for unbridled optimism. Every team is happy with its direction—or at least prepared to say as much. That’s the symptom of a blank slate. It’s a new year, a new season. The standings have been wiped clean. Every team has the same number of wins and losses this time of year—except for those who suffer crippling injuries; they’re clearly at an onset disadvantage.
And, hey, maybe Melo just firmly believes in the roster team president Phil Jackson has pieced together. Kristaps Porzingis is so good, he’s going to succeed in spite of the Knicks. Arron Afflalo is a solid two-way player when he wants to be. Jerian Grant may already be the Knicks’ best point guard. Robin Lopez and Kyle O’Quinn should help bolster New York’s defense considerably.
If everything breaks right for the Knicks, and if Melo stays healthy, they won’t only build upon their 17-win crap show from last season, but they’ll enter the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture. Outside the East’s top-five teams, nothing is for certain. One could even make the case that there’s the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then there’s 14 teams worth of uncertainty.
Still, even if the Knicks sneak into the postseason conversation, that’s their ceiling. There is none of this “Anything can happen” bull. They aren’t going to win a championship. They won’t even sniff the NBA Finals. And if you want to maintain they won’t even be within striking distance of a postseason slot, I’ll listen. Because it’s possible.
For now, let Melo and crew bask in the promise of possibility, fully losing themselves in training-camp optimism.
Reality will kick in later.
