Carmelo Anthony is working behind the scenes for the New York Knicks, whispering in the ears of the NBA’s highest-profile free agents.
And he’s bringing snacks—specifically bread.
No butter, no jam, no peanut butter. Nothing. Just breakable bread.
With the New York Knicks getting set to play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, the topic of Kevin Durant’s free agency and the Big Apple’s continued flexibility naturally came up, and Anthony was quite candid, albeit a little cryptic, per Newsday‘s Barbara Barker:
Melo on talking with other players, like Durant, about New York: "I have my conversations with people. We break bread and we talk." #Knicks
— Barbara Barker (@meanbarb) January 25, 2016
Does Melo’s method work?
Well, the Knicks signed Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo over the summer, not LaMarcus Aldridge or DeAndre Jordan or another marquee name, so no. Not that those signings weren’t good; they just don’t set the stage for Melo as an epic recruiter.
At the same time, Melo was at a severe disadvantage. The Knicks were working off a franchise-worst season, he was coming off knee surgery, and no one had any idea who in the hell this Kristaps Porzingis kid was.
They know who Porzingis is now, the Knicks are a borderline playoff team, and Anthony has been relatively healthy while reinventing his play style to include a more selfless approach on the offensive end.
Does that mean Melo’s methodology is going to strike gold in free agency?
Not necessarily. But it does mean that it could.
