New York Knicks Rumors: Should the Knicks lock up Carmelo Anthony now?
By Matt Shetler
The 2013-14 NBA season is going to be very interesting to say the least and it really has nothing to do with what is going to happen on the court as much as it does with what is going to happen off the court.
As much as teams are looking forward to competing for an NBA championship, some teams are looking forward to next offseason even more. That’s because teams with cap room can go after the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and some of the other bigger names in the game.
May 18, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is defended by Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) in game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
Needless to say, the New York Knicks won’t be one of those teams.
That begs the question of if the Knicks should look to lock up Carmelo Anthony now?
Anthony can opt out of his contract after this season, which is something he is all but certain to do, and he is already being linked (along with LeBron) to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Those who think that Anthony wouldn’t consider the Lakers are fooling themselves, especially if they could land LeBron as well.
At this point in his career, Anthony needs to win a championship and the easiest way for him to do that could be to join another superstar in a different market. Knicks management has done very little to surround Anthony with a championship caliber team and he has to wonder if they ever will. Sure the Knicks can offer him an extra year and more money, but if ‘Melo fails to win this year, it’s likely he could look hard at Los Angeles.
That’s why if the Knicks feel Anthony is the player they truly want to build around for the next five years, and that’s a big if right now, they should take the proper steps to try and lock him up now. By doing that, no other teams can get in his ear and attempt to lure him from the Big Apple.
But that doesn’t seem to be the Knicks thinking at all.
“It’s really premature to talk about that,” Knicks GM Glen Grunwald said Tuesday, according to SNY’s Adam Zagoria. “But we obviously love Carmelo. We think he’s great for New York and New York’s great for him.”
First, Knicks management must really evaluate if Anthony is a true superstar and one that can win a championship in New York.
If that decision is yes, then they are playing with fire if they don’t look to sign Anthony to an extension before he gets the opportunity to opt of his deal and test the market.
By not doing so, the longer they wait; it almost leads you to believe that they could have some doubts about Anthony’s ability to lead.
However it’s almost a no-brainer that ‘Melo is the guy they will want to be around. They sacrificed too much to get him to New York and it is hard for me to see them making a decision to let him walk after next season.
That alone is why it makes perfect sense to sign Anthony to an extension before next season.
If you roll the dice enough eventually you are going to crap out. I’d hate to see that happen to this franchise yet again.
Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.
Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook