Negatives for Carmelo Anthony
Selfish Melo:
Selfish. That’s been a word a lot of fans have used when describing Carmelo. Whether its shot selection, very average defense or known for taking more money rather than taking less to play for a better team, Anthony has been criticized for it all. During the 2014 offseason, he resigned with the Knicks, a five-year deal worth $124 million. The max was $129 but rather than go to a team, like the Chicago Bulls, who had a better roster, he returned home. The Knicks went 17-65. The Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Chicago could have surely used Melo against LeBron James and the Cavs.
There’s nothing wrong with playing for your hometown, but when the team hasn’t been that relevant in years and the roster isn’t any good, why go back? The reason: money. Not always the best reason.
Starter Melo:
That would not even be a question. Unless Carmelo is starting for the Golden State Warriors, he should not start. At all. He did not help the Thunder much when he started for them in his lone season. He refused to come off the bench after a first-round playoff exit last season which sped up the process of trading him. If he can’t see that he should be coming off the bench, what’s the point of having him on your team. In the two games he started with the Houston Rockets, he scored 24 points on 8-18 shooting in one game but had only 8 points on 2-12 shooting. Both losses.
It seems like the only reason a team would start Melo is if he can be nothing but a spot up shooter. He struggled with that with the Thunder. He shot a horrific 30.4% on open shots when he was open by 4 to 6 feet with the Thunder. Yikes.
Ultimately, the cons outweigh the pros and it does not look like Pat Riley should make one of the final moves of his career to snag Carmelo Anthony.