It's been a strange few years for the Knicks. They've seen multiple saviors come and go and tallied nearly as many head coaches over the last five years (four) as playoff wins (seven).
Amar’e Stoudemire said what everyone knew about Carmelo Anthony being jealous of Jeremy Lin
Stoudemire didn’t mention Anthony by name when he said “everyone wasn’t a fan” of Jeremy Lin during the height of Linsanity, but clearly he was referring to his former teammate.
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
On Sunday, one of those former saviors, Amar'e Stoudemire, shared his thoughts on the downfall of another former savior, Jeremy Lin. Stoudemire suggested that Carmelo Anthony's poor leadership skills were part of the problem.
"Everyone wasn't a fan of [Lin] being the new star," Stoudemire told the media Sunday prior to the Heat's 98-81 road win over the Knicks, via ESPN. "So he didn't stay long. But Jeremy was a great, great guy. Great teammate. He worked hard. He put the work in and we're proud of him to have his moment. A lot of times you gotta enjoy someone's success. And that wasn't the case for us during that stretch.
“You got to enjoy that. You got to let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. He was becoming a star and I don’t think everybody was pleased with that.”
Stoudemire did not mention Anthony by name, but his comments point squarely to the Knicks’ star. They also thrust much of the reporting done on the Anthony-Lin relationship in 2012 back into the public sphere. This 2012 ESPN The Magazine story is full of anonymous quotes from Knicks players and sources close to the team claiming that Anthony had an issue with Mike D’Antoni’s decision to run the offense through Lin. Anthony was also reportedly jealous of all the attention Lin got in New York.
“Carmelo’s dream was to go to New York and be the man,” a source reportedly close to several Knicks players told ESPN’s Tim Keown. “That’s why he fought to get out of Denver, and all of a sudden this little guy nobody’s ever heard of is living his dream.”
Anthony's frustration spilled into the public realm when he called the three-year, $25.1 million deal the Rockets offered Lin the summer after Linsanity a "ridiculous contract." While Anthony later clarified his comments, the damage was done. The Knicks never matched that contract and signed Raymond Felton to replace Lin.
And yet, despite all this history, Anthony was taken aback by Stoudemire’s comments and denied ever having a problem with Lin.
“That was [four] years ago? I don’t know. I don’t have no comment about that,” Anthony said. “If [Lin] was becoming a star, we should embrace that. I don’t know. We didn’t embrace it? Was that the word?
"S---, if that was the case then I'd be upset right now with KP [Kristaps Porzingis], if he's talking about me. I doubt if [Stoudemire is] talking about me. I doubt that. I highly doubt that."
On the one hand, you could say that Anthony was proven right. Lin is clearly not the player many thought he could be during the height of Linsanity. He had no business taking the franchise player baton from Anthony.
That said, Stoudemire was in the locker room with Anthony and saw how he handled his role as team leader, especially during Linsanity. Anthony’s Porzingis-centered rebuttal is true. He’s been an excellent big brother this season and is playing the most unselfish basketball of his career. The problem is that it took a long time for Anthony to change.
Stoudemire’s comments don’t come as much of a surprise. That Anthony wasn’t a huge fan of Lin is common knowledge at this point. But these quotes do shed light on issues that previously held the Knicks back and lend credence to the idea that an Anthony-led team can never be a championship contender.
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