Carmelo Anthony has said he'll test out free agency this summer. He's even open to taking less money to return to the New York Knicks, which he says is his main priority. But what will it take to keep him in town?
Carmelo Anthony says making playoffs won’t change free agency decision
The New York Knicks forward will weigh many things, but making the playoffs will not be one of them.
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
On Thursday, Anthony told reporters that it won’t matter whether the Knicks make the playoffs this year, according to the Wall Street Journal’s Chris Herring. What could encumber New York in bringing back its star is the craziness of the 2013-14 season.
It’s probably not the good kind of crazy, either.
... Carmelo said reaching the playoffs, specifically, wouldnt be much of a factor on his free-agency decision. The craziness of the yr might
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) February 27, 2014 Melo: "Off the court, on the court, just a lot of things going to have to be put all on the table." Knicks picked a bad year to be bad.
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) February 27, 2014 “Craziness” can probably be applied to the off-the-court on-goings in New York, and what exactly has happened in the front office is vague.
But from the product the Knicks have put out game after game, it's clear they're doing themselves no favors. While injuries and disappointing performances -- J.R. Smith, we're looking at you -- might have weighed the Knicks down, it's certainly on the front office at the end of the day. The same reasons New York may not make the playoffs this year could full well paint an ugly picture of what's to come.
Anthony has put in another stellar statistical season, scoring 28.2 points and grabbing 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent overall and 43 percent from three-point range. He has the Knicks five games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and with 25 games to go there’s enough time for a run, especially if a team ahead of them slips.
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But if the 29-year-old Anthony doesn’t see a way for New York to right the ship this summer, there are plenty of other teams that would be waiting at his front door with a contract to sign.
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