Does Carmelo Anthony have another six NBA seasons left in him?
He sure hopes so.
Anthony, who will turn 33 in May and is playing through his 14th go-round, wants to do what Kobe Bryant did, what Dirk Nowitzki is going to do, and finish his career with two decades of pro ball to his name, per the New York Post‘s Marc Berman:
Anthony, currently in his 14th NBA season, would be 38 — nearly 39 — if he plays six more seasons. Good luck with that, Melo.
“I would love to get 20 in, I could do 20,’’ Anthony said Wednesday at the shootaround at Bradley Center. “I could do 20. I’ve done a great job taking care of my body. I’ll continue doing that. No severe injuries. I can see myself going for 20.’’
Just not as a member of the New York Knicks, right?
The 20-season plateau feels like a lifetime away for Anthony. Playing in New York, for the Knicks, has aged him, optically, at an advanced scale. He hasn’t adjusted his game that much as he’s gotten older, and the stress of trying to survive while repping one of the league’s most incompetent franchises has to take a toll.
Should Anthony ever wind up in a situation where he can unlock Olympics Melo, operating primarily as a deadly spot-up shooter, then maybe he’ll have a chance at lasting until he’s 38. It’s just so hard to see that far down the road when the present is clouded by the Knicks’ failure.
