With New York Knicks slogging through a meaningless final stretch of the 2015-16 season, Carmelo Anthony has, apparently, taken rookie Kristaps Porzingis further under his wing, teaching him about the game and, well, life in general.
Take some time to read this excerpt from Ian Begley’s fantastic piece for ESPN.com:
It’s late in the fourth quarter on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks are well ahead of the Brooklyn Nets — a portion of the game that’s referred in NBA parlance as “garbage time.” Nothing of great consequence is happening on the court.
But an interesting conversation is taking place on the Knicks’ bench.
Carmelo Anthony is sitting next to Kristaps Porzingis, talking to the rookie about life in the NBA.
“Just trying to put things in perspective for him,” Anthony said.
“We were talking about the game — not tonight’s game, but just the game in general,” he added.
So, what was Anthony telling him?
“Just teaching, insights. [Answering] some questions he had.”
Anthony and Porzingis’ relationship has included these types of question-and-answer sessions throughout the season. On Friday, Anthony talked to the rookie about what he can expect in the weeks and months to come.
“I was asking about offseason, about whatever I had on my mind I was just asking him,” Porzingis said. “Whenever I get some time to ask some questions, bother him a little bit, I use it as much as I can.”
Was one of these questions: Yo, dude. Are you coming back next season?
That’s where I would have started if I was Porzingis. The newbie has openly advocated for Melo’s return, and the on-court dynamic between these two will be a big part of selling Anthony on his future in New York—assuming the Knicks are so inclined to make a sales pitch.
Which they should.
Carmelo Anthony is still an NBA superstar. And even if he cannot lure in any other superstars over the next couple summers, he has still, on more than one occasion, expressed his desire to remain in the Big Apple. He is proof that players can love New York, that the Knicks are a franchise for which marquee talent should want to play. The ‘Bockers cannot muck up that perception by failing to hold on to a player who so desperately wants to be in orange and blue.
More importantly, Melo has become a pivotal part of Zinger’s development. The two are better off when they play together, and Anthony, by all appearances, is mentoring the Latvian prince in a way that not only runs counter to his reputation, but one that’s crucial to Porzingis’ long-term success.
Anthony, quite simply, makes things easier for his young sidekick, affording the Knicks the option of bringing Porzingis along slowly, rather than expecting him carry the franchise now or leading into next season, which is, truthfully, a burden he may not yet be ready to carry on his own.
