Sources Say Knicks Will Allow Carmelo To Pick Teammates In 2015 Like Heat Did With Dwyane Wade
HoopsWorld - On the Anthony front, there is a chance he looks at greener pastures in 2014, but sources close to the process say the Knicks have already let Anthony know that their books will be basically clear in 2015 and he can pick his teammates much as Wade did in Miami. With the New York market behind him and the almost unlimited checkbook of the Knicks, Anthony will have a lot of options in 2015 and while teams like the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers might be tempting in 2014, Anthony has a lot of influence in New York and they are willing to let him build his own team in NYC in 2015.
It blows that the Knicks are already in 2015 mode. Feels like just yesterday we had cap space and were making moves to try to contend, but here we are again. It sucks, but at the same time I like the realistic approach. If this team played their absolute best they’d still be hard pressed to get over the hump in the Eastern Conference. So lets call it like it is. Contending with the Heat/Nets/Pacers/Bulls is a fucking tough task right now. And the reality is they basically need to start fresh and build around Carmelo to do so.
Of course this story will be blown out of proportion. Because its New York and because its Carmelo people will probably take this to mean the team is gonna officially name him GM or something. Like he’ll go to work every day in a suit and tie and be wheeling and dealing with the other front offices across the NBA. He’s their franchise player and they’re going to have a boatload of money to spend. They are going to consult him about the process. So far Carmelo has struggled to co-exist with certain players the Knicks have acquired. Maybe trying to build with his input rather than jamming a square peg in a round hole is the smarter approach. If Carmelo sticks around in 2015, its gonna be the Knicks last run at contending with him as their star. Might as well all work together to make sure that last effort is worthwhile.
PS – The implication that Dwyane Wade picked Lebron and not the other way around is absolutely fucking absurd. Like the Heat “allowed” Wade to choose the 2 best players on the free agent market. Gimme a break.