Carmelo Anthony has 30 million reasons to remain with the New York Knicks after he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
But if the Knicks don’t have his word that he’ll re-sign with them for five years at a max salary, can they afford to take the risk that he might leave? That is the question owner Jim Dolan and his tight-lipped lieutenants are asking themselves as New York struggles through the first half of the season, entering tonight’s game against the Miami Heat as the 11th-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, tied in the win column with the overachieving Philadelphia 76ers and the underachieving Cleveland Cavaliers.
Across the East River, the Brooklyn Nets just won their fourth straight game, preventing the Golden State Warriors from becoming the first team in NBA history to go undefeated on a road trip of seven games or more.
So while the Nets are making positive headlines, the Knicks are suffering. They go into tonight’s nationally televised game against the Miami Heat as the league laughingstock (and 6 1/2-point underdogs), and they don’t gave the fallback of having a chance to win the draft lottery because they traded away their 2014 pick in the deal to acquire Anthony.
Is it time to declare the Anthony era a failure?
And if so, is it time to get what they can for ‘Melo rather than risk losing him for nothing to a team such as the Lakers would will be able to offer him a max contract?
I discussed that scenario — along with several other topics from around the NBA — in this interview with Bob Kemp on SportsZone 1060 in Phoenix. Enjoy.