Speculation surrounding Carmelo Anthony’s future with the New York Knicks has stopped.
Just kidding. It hasn’t stopped. And it’s not going to stop. No matter what happens, though, Melo doesn’t want you questioning where his loyalties lie, per Marc Berman of the New York Post:
Carmelo Anthony says you can question certain things, but never his loyalty to New York.
Though Anthony declined a chance last week to guarantee he would be back with the Knicks next season, the superstar forward believes his actions speak for themselves. Anthony spoke Wednesday morning at shootaround at the United Center, an arena he strongly considered calling home in the summer of 2014 when he was courted by the Bulls before re-signing with the Knicks.
“I know the reason why I stuck it out,’’ said Anthony, who feels fully recovered from his migraine headache that caused him to miss the Knicks’ game on Sunday. “People that really understand it know why I’m sticking it out. It’s odd to question my loyalty at this point in time, especially when you showed and I’ve showed time and time again my loyalty to not just the organization, but New York and vice versa.”
Anthony has a point. There really is no questioning his loyalty at this juncture. If he wanted out, he would have left in 2014. Or he would have asked for a trade last season. Or requested a trade over the offseason. Or demanded a trade ahead of this year’s deadline.
Yes, Anthony has rolled with the more lucrative financial decisions time and time again. But if he wanted both, the money and an exit from New York, he could have gotten them. He has that power. He’s had that power, that leverage.
That he’s still in New York, with the Knicks, could speak to any number of things: his ignorance, his stubborness, his faith in Phil Jackson, his deep-seated desire to carry the Knicks back to relevance, etc. The fact is, though, he’s still in New York, even though he’s had every opportunity to leave. That has to count for something, even if he’s not the perfect star, even if the roots of his loyalty are shrouded in mystery, even if he eventually does leave.
