Carmelo Anthony Criticism Sounds Much Like Kobe Bryant’s

Carmelo Anthony took the long way home.

It was a hopscotch ride that started in Chicago. From there he went to Houston. He ventured west to Los Angeles before New York, patient as always, reeled him in. It was theatrical and over the top, a series of summer blind dates before Carmelo went back to his old New York romance. It felt predictable and somewhat rehearsed. Not rebellious nor brave enough to leave the safety net of Manhattan for somewhere new, Carmelo conceded to the pressure. He already jilted one city, he couldn’t make it two. Now, he was stuck.

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Egocentricity aside, Carmelo’s summer tour seduced him with the sort of compulsive attention other star players receive just for breathing. Carmelo’s NBA biography has been littered with his failings so he took what he could get in the summer of 2014 as media outlets awaited his decision. It wasn’t NBA Finals attention or an MVP award recognition but it was Carmelo’s time to bask in his own light. In doing so, in listening to teams gush over him, he was finally satisfied. It felt like vindication. When it all came to a reluctant end, he made a choice. He signed a max deal. He would dedicate himself to winning in New York.

Carmelo and the team he returned to, the New York Knicks, lost last night to the New Orleans Pelicans. It was their ninth loss in a row. Adding insult to injury, the Knicks have had the easiest schedule of all thirty NBA teams but have won only 4 games. They are wholeheartedly cemented into a forsaken place: bottom dwellers in a horrible conference. The Knicks are in the running for worst NBA team 2014-15. Only the Philadelphia 76ers and the Utah Jazz have lost nine games in a row. And neither of those teams have anything close to a Carmelo Anthony talent on their roster.

Five months ago, Kobe Bryant was pushing his body and his mind.

After two grueling injuries, he was attempting a comeback but the comeback was not the entire story. The Achilles injury he suffered a year earlier put off what he had been thoughtfully considering: retirement. In an ironic way, shredding his Achilles changed the arc of his career but it saved the meats and guts of it as well. Kobe was beginning to get bored. But losing the ability to play elevated exponentially the desire to play. He refused to have it taken from him without his participation so Kobe did what he has always done with a minor variation. This version of himself, as Kobe found out the hard way, was a little bit older and battered and his bones were tired.

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The roster around Kobe, players whose collective accomplishments can be summed up in a paragraph or less, don’t have the talent to achieve on a nightly basis. But Kobe does what Kobe has always done, pushing himself physically to the point of pain, leaning upon his mental talent to be able to cross this last holy river.

Against the Sacramento Kings, in the last three minutes of Tuesday night’s game, Kobe did what most NBA General Managers believed was impossible. He won the game for the Lakers solely based on his accomplishments. In the span of 180 seconds he had a dunk, trapped Rudy Gay causing a turnover, hit a three to tie the game, made a beautiful pass to Jordan Hill which gave the Lakers the lead, made all four of his free throws. The Lakers ended a three game losing streak.

Kobe woke up this morning to the realization that he will be the NBA’s third leading scorer, either on Friday or on Sunday

Carmelo woke up this morning to the realization that his teammates are in revolt.

ESPN reporter, Chris Broussard, wrote that Carmelo’s teammates are “frustrated” with Carmelo’s defense and usage rate, things Kobe’s teammates have said about him off and on. It sticks to Kobe and yet it doesn’t, primarily because in the culture of the NBA where achievement is the holy water, Kobe has won 65% of the regular season games he has played in even as he wears the crown of selfish and high usage guy. Simply, Kobe has proven himself, even in the midst of turmoil. He has played 19 seasons and the Lakers have been in the playoffs 16 of those seasons. Kobe has lost in the first round of the playoffs two times.

Carmelo, on the other hand, clings to a more pessimistic narrative, one of a perennial playoff loser. He has won 57% of his team’s regular season games but has lost in the first round nine times. Nine times he was sent home. Three times (Denver ’04,’08, NY ‘11) he didn’t win one playoff game.

And so here they are, Kobe and Carmelo. Kobe is leading the NBA in scoring (25.5) but is shooting 39%. His team has won 6 games, playing in a tough Western Conference where most nights they are overmatched. When he passes Michael Jordan this weekend it will make news all over the world. Pretty much anything he does is celebrated as fans in Eastern cities flock to see him and boldly serenade him with MVP chants, realizing the end pretty much is a blink away.

Carmelo Anthony, the 7^th leading scorer in the NBA (22.9), can’t escape the familiar. He is believed by many, teammates included, to be a selfish player who doesn’t impact the game other than his own stats. As with most criticisms there is truth somewhere in the middle and there is exaggeration. Carmelo isn’t healthy either, his knee is banged up and could get worse as can the Knicks season.

It’s clear now: Carmelo should have gone to Chicago. He should have paired with Derrick Rose and started all over again even if that meant he had to swallow the bitter pill of Knick fan rage. Given the same situation- 30 years old and never in the NBA Finals, only once in a conference final, it’s what Kobe Bryant, the ruthless competitor, would have done.