If during the pandemic you made a bet on which player would be in the 2020-21 Knicks squad, Elfrid Payton or Carmelo Anthony, the smartest move would be the former Syracuse star.
But there was Payton on a Zoom call from Portland on Sunday after the Knicks shootaround talking about his fight against Blazers superstar Damian Lillard – still Anthony’s teammate.
Payton stabilized the position of the point guard during the Knicks’ 8-9 start. Anthony chose to sign again with the Blazers for a minimum of $ 2.6 million from the NBA veteran. The Blazers desperately need Anthony now with studs CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic out for a long time.
Should the Knicks have made it a tougher game against Anthony, considering they were stuck with $ 18 million of salary limit space?
A case could be made, yes, because of his scarcity of offensive talent – ranked 30th in the league with an average score of 101.3 points.
On the other hand, the case is stronger. Knicks President Leon Rose made the right decision by not betting everything on his former client in November. The Post reported that Rose’s dream duo after taking the job was to add Chris Paul and his friend Anthony.
Anthony, at 36, still draws a lot of attention. His presence could have been disturbing if things were not his way in terms of playing time and touching the ball. More specifically, the Knicks have established an identity as a brave and defensive ball club. This is not Anthony’s calling card.
Did Julius Randle have that season of eliminations with Anthony, who plays small and striker, on the squad? Probably not. Randle needs the ball, he has it in most possessions. For much of his career, Anthony did too.
Playing a minor role in a winning Portland program that featured Lillard and McCollum is an easier proposition than Anthony reducing his role to an unsettled cast of Knicks who would have started the 2020-21 campaign.
Randle may not have had the confidence to become the team’s alpha male with Anthony as the starter.
In addition, RJ Barrett was transferred to a more small-footed role with Reggie Bullock at the start of the guard shot to give Barrett less ball handling tasks. Anthony’s presence would have excluded Bullock and given Barrett the role of a shooting guard.
Bullock, who does not need the stone, started all games when he was healthy – 15 of the first 18. He should have missed Sunday’s game with neck pain. While Bullock was available, coach Tom Thibodeau maintained the same starting unit.
“I think we have a very good balance, man,” said Payton on Sunday. “Everyone gives each other space to do what they do well. And people, RJ found a very good rhythm, he is playing very well. Julius has been doing this all year. ”
Barrett, despite his 3-point shooting problems, has been a relentless bull with an engine that doesn’t stop. He may also have been stunted in an attack in which Anthony would like the ball – more to kick than to create.
Barrett fought Anthony before his debut season in pickup games in Columbia. Anthony could have served as an incredible mentor, but you never know how it would have happened.
Remember your former Denver teammate Chauncey Billups accused Anthony of worrying more about his stats than winning.
“It meant a lot because he could have games where he was 20, 22 [points], we won the game and he’s crazy, ” said Billups in 2019.
As a Bulls coach, Thibodeau chased Anthony when he was a free agent in 2014 and worked with him on the US team.
“He had an incredible career – a great one ever,” ‘Thibodeau said before the game. “The fact that he still goes says a lot about who he is. A guy of high character, he represented himself well. He accomplished a lot. “
In the early days of the training camp, Anthony said the stars were not lined up for a Knicks meeting.
“At this point, it wasn’t really that much [of consideration], ” Said Anthony. “The Knicks were making moves and trying to figure out the direction they wanted to go. I’m sure they have a plan. I don’t think that going in and trying to mess up their plan was good for either party.
“They are rebuilding and discovering what is in their near future. It was me, personally, wanting to be part of a situation in which I already felt comfortable. I felt it was the right fit at this point in time that I am in this particular year. ”
In his second season with the Blazers, Anthony averaged 12.2 points, shooting 40.5 percent – 45 out of 3. He scored just 1.2 assists in 25 minutes.
As Jeff Van Gundy noted, the Knicks “are not going anywhere” until they hone their “offensive talent”.
With a new order from Randle and Barrett established, perhaps adding Anthony to the negotiation deadline is not crazy. Of course, the Blazers, who are proud to resurrect Anthony’s career last season, will not be anxious unless the current bruises annihilate their season by the end of March.
Portland signed Anthony a one-year contract with his eyes on a deep playoff race. The Knicks are trying to avoid another lottery. They want to be in the middle of a playoff race for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they have been in it until the last few days.
With essentially 10 teams qualifying, – the 7-10 seed guys face off in a play-in event – the Knicks can sneak in. They were in eighth place in Sunday’s action.
Refusing to make a big move for Anthony in November was a smart move. But do not discard anything in the future.