Carmelo Anthony re-signs with New York Knicks

Carmelo didn’t don an all-black suit and dial up the word count with the help of Lee Jenkins, but he also announced his final free agency decision via website. Melo’s announcement came via his personal website rather than Sports Illustrated, but it was no less heartfelt than LeBron’s big news:

Pretty cool. After all the flirtation, Melo returns to New York even after a down season.

It’s hard to believe that was only two years ago after the nightmare season the Knicks just endured, one that spiraled out of control before it ever really started. Chandler broke his leg in the fourth game of the season and suddenly the Knicks were 3-13. Every loss felt like a referendum on Anthony’s impending free agency, which slowly started to become more meaningful than the actual season. The Knicks were an ongoing plane crash and Melo was the only one with a parachute strapped to his back.

There’s a more convenient way to frame Melo’s decision, though, one that’s less flattering to all involved parties: Anthony’s commitment to the Knicks ultimately seems like it was about choosing money over winning.

UPDATE [July 15]: Anthony’s deal with worth a reported $124 million dollars, just slightly less than the maximum of $129 million, and starts at $22.5 million in the coming season, per a tweet from ESPN New York’s Ian Begley. The deal also includes a no trade clause for Anthony.

UPDATE [July 13]: Carmelo Anthony officially announced that he is returning to the Knicks on Sunday:

The Lakers’ position in the race bounced around quite a bit. They were thought to be a longshot early on and were the last team Anthony visited on his free agent tour. They started to gain some traction in the race and were reportedly one of three finalists along with Chicago and New York. That has since changed again with Stephen A. Smith of ESPN reporting the Lakers are no longer a consideration for Anthony.

Regardless of where he signs, it doesn’t sound like a decision will come before the weekend with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reporting Anthony won’t decide today.

Now the Eastern Conference looks like a wide open race with the Big Three of Miami dispersing, and it’s possible the draw for Anthony to join the Bulls is even stronger.

The report was confirmed by Mike McGraw of the Arlington Daily Herald and Ken Berger of CBS.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported Wednesday that Anthony would choose the Knicks barring a last-minute change of heart. Could that be happening?

Carmelo Anthony is a free agent basketball player. La La Anthony is an actress and entrepreneur and overall professional famous person. Los Angeles has pretty good basketball, but it’s got REALLY good acting and famous-being opportunities. Lakers legend James Worthy was in the room when his team made their free agent pitch to Carmelo Anthony, and describes a very La La-heavy presentation in an interview with SLAM:

I’m sure the Lakers said plenty of other stuff directed at Melo, but I don’t see “your spouse is more popular than you in this city” anywhere in my How To Get A Famous Person To Come To Your City handbook. Interesting tactic.

Jackson’s positive feelings come on the heels of a report from Frank Isola that Anthony will re-sign with the Knicks barring a last-minute change. When that decision will come remains a question. Jackson said he thinks Anthony will make a decision Thursday, but also thought he’d hear a decision on Wednesday. Regardless of when Anthony makes his final choice, he has options, including from the Knicks. Jackson said there are five contract offers for Anthony on the table, with reporters inferring that means from New York. Anthony is likely to secure a maximum contract, but the different offers could include deals of various lengths and other options. Player options, team options and early termination options could all be part of the discussion. Jackson could also mean there are offers from five teams with Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Dallas all hosting Anthony on his free agent tour.

While Jackson said he’s had good conversations with Anthony, he continues to wait for an ultimate decision. When asked why the wait has been prolonged, the Zen Master brought astrology into the equation:

Barring an 11th-hour change, Carmelo Anthony will re-sign with the New York Knicks, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. An announcement is expected Thursday. It is expected that Anthony will receive the maximum five-year, $129 million contract.

The deal is not official yet. The Knicks, as well as other teams, have yet to be informed of Anthony’s ultimate decision, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck.

The 30-year-old All-Star is experiencing free agency for the first time in his career with multiple suitors, but Isola reports that one of Anthony’s close friends claims that he’s torn on which team to ultimately sign with.

It appears that money isn’t the sole motivating factor for Anthony, as Isola notes some of the factors weighing on his decision and why Chicago is still in the race:

After all, as Melo has surely learned in his decade in the league, the Lakers never stay down for long.

The Lakers can offer Anthony a four-year, $97 million maximum contract without making any additional roster moves to fit him into their salary structure, which was a part of the franchise’s pitch that now has it in “serious contention” for his services, reports Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski.

What exactly does this report mean, if anything?

Could Anthony and Gasol be a package deal in New York, Los Angeles or somewhere else? Let’s take a closer look and the possibility.

The Houston Rockets were the second stop on Carmelo Anthony’s free agent tour on Wednesday. One day after the Chicago Bulls plastered images of Anthony in the team’s jersey around the United Center, the Rockets did the same thing. There’s only problem with that: the No. 7 Anthony is shown wearing in the images belongs to a current member of the Rockets, point guard Jeremy Lin.

Lin was aware that he would be traded if Anthony chooses Houston. The team, for that matter, reportedly already has a deal lined up. The image of Anthony in his jersey still wasn’t a welcomed sight for Lin, though. The point guard took to Twitter to voice his displeasure.

Each team on Anthony’s list offers its own set of pros and cons, ranging from competitive to financial advantages. Here’s a breakdown of Anthony’s options sorted by the chronological order of the visits he’ll be making.

The Bulls would offer Anthony a chance to stay in the Eastern Conference with a supporting cast more talented than the Knicks could conceivably put around him. The financial aspect is where this could get tricky. Chicago would ideally like to acquire Anthony in a sign-and-trade with the Knicks based around Carlos Boozer. If the Bulls have to use cap space to sign Anthony, they’ll start by amnestying Boozer and then selling off pieces until they reach an offer Anthony is comfortable with.