NY Daily News: Carmelo Anthony should go running to South Beach, join the Heat, and never look back
Makes sense for Carmelo Anthony to leave Knicks and join Miami Heat
Author: Mitch Lawrence | 01:29 AM
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Carmelo Anthony could be plenty happy down in Miami, taking passes from LeBron James.
Source: Makes sense for Carmelo Anthony to leave Knicks and join Miami Heat - Daily News
MIAMI — The answer to all of Carmelo Anthony’s problems is right here, with Pat Riley, LeBron James, a proven championship blueprint in place and none of the idiotic maneuvers that Anthony has to put up with back in New York, such as wayward teammates like Raymond Felton.
Anthony and the Knicks were run off the court when they went up against a masked James Thursday night, as they played for the first time since their latest upheaval, caused by Felton’s arrest on felony gun charges. But what if Anthony decided in July to join forces with his long-time sparring partner?
It makes so much sense, from a basketball standpoint. The Heat would be the best place for Anthony to land, especially when you consider what has been going on with the Knicks this season and how their future is unsettled, at best.
“I was laughing with somebody and just saying, ‘Murphy’s Law,’ Anthony said in the morning, before the Knicks were routed, 108-82, at AmericanAirlines Arena. “Anything that can go wrong has gone wrong for us."
Murphy’s Law was still in effect, especially when the Knicks were abused, 32-14, in the third.
“They made a run and we just crumbled from there,” Anthony said. “It got out of hand.”
Maybe he’ll think about this loss and all the others when he sits down in July and considers whether to take the Knicks’ maximum contract or decides, the heck with all of that money, it can’t buy me happiness on the basketball court. He’s had almost no joy out there, as his string of 10 straight playoff appearances appears over.
“I never experienced before not making the playoffs,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’re in the situation we’re in, right now. Fighting for our life. Fighting for a playoff spot.”
> NY Daily News: Carmelo Anthony should go running to South Beach, join the Heat, and never look back - Photo posted in BX SportsCenter | Sign in and leave a comment below!
Hey Carmelo, if you can't beat 'em... join 'em!
He’d be plenty happy down here, taking passes from James and finding out what it’s like to play for a team that, from ownership on down, knows what it’s doing and understands how to win NBA titles.
There is no talk that the Heat will go after Anthony on July 1, despite the fact that Miami will have to do some retooling in the offseason, regardless of whether James gets Miami a third straight title or falls short. The only buzz is that Miami’s Big Three is past the point of taking fewer dollars than it can get. The days of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh sacrificing millions for the good of the team are over, according to well-placed Heat sources. So that could play into what Miami could give Anthony, if it would even be interested in his services.
Not that Thursday was an audition. The Heat has seen Anthony put up big numbers for so long, but it couldn’t have hurt when he had 24 of his 29 points in the first half. Once James asserted himself in the third quarter, that was it for the Knicks.
We understand, Anthony still might want to be the big fish in the big pond of New York and get his megacontract, too. He might not want to take a substantial pay cut to go anywhere.
But if he really wants to win, it’s a no-brainer to come here. All he has to do is first look at who’s signing the paychecks. Here, Micky Arison knows enough to leave the basketball to the basketball experts.
In New York, Jim Dolan can’t help himself from dabbling in an area he has no expertise in. Here, Riley is in command of the roster, and it’s come to the point where the job he does in building teams rivals what he did coaching the Lakers in the ’80s, and the Knicks in the early ’90s. Then Anthony can compare that to what he has at the Garden, with rookie GM Steve Mills presiding over what has been a disastrous season, on and off the court.
From J.R. Smith’s drug suspension to Felton’s arrest and everything in between, and all of the losing, if you’re Mills, there couldn’t have been a worse season to have, in terms of convincing Anthony that he should re-sign.
“There’s a lot of options. Things are going to be thought about when that time comes,” Anthony said. “Off the court and on the court. A lot of things will have to be put on the table.”
Riley has been known to put his championship rings on the table, as he did when he went to recruit James.
If by chance he holds the same jewelry show for Anthony in another five months, then what’s the issue?
Anthony should go running to South Beach and never look back.