When Carmelo Anthony rejected the Lakers in the summer of 2014, he joined a small group of stars (Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol) uninterested in the Lakers mystique. Not swayed by the Lakers history, Carmelo crossed them off his list. As decisions go, it wasn’t particularly risky. He didn’t lose anything by taking a meeting with the Lakers, salivating for about five minutes, and then running back to New York City and $126 million dollars.
In the aftermath of another rejection, the Lakers did what was expected. They licked their wounds privately. Publicly, they said all the right things about Carmelo’s free agent right to play wherever he wanted.
But this is where intellect pays off. To the Lakers credit, they didn’t allow the rejection to erase basketball logic. Don’t spend money unless it is worth it, unless the value outperforms the reward. So, the Lakers closed their wallet and signed average players for one more year, expecting to re-start the free agency wheel again in 2015.
Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers battles for positioning with Eastern Conference forward Carmelo Anthony (7) of the New York Knicks in the first quarter of the 2013 NBA all star game at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
But, imagine if the Lakers had signed Carmelo, if he had said yes. There would have been short lived euphoria in this city that loves a bona fide star. The sun always rises but it sets too. The bright glow of Carmelo’s arrival would have dimmed just as quickly. His haters would start to scream: no defense, bad motor, one dimensional. His loyalists would point to the numbers, the scoring titles, the sheer brilliance of his talent.
But the truth is, both sides of the Carmelo Anthony divide have something to cry about. We know this now. Six months have passed and the Knicks are the most dreadful team in the NBA. Carmelo, as their leader, has not been healthy.
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Had the Lakers signed Carmelo Anthony, the Lakers would be over the cap since Steve Nash’s salary is still on the books. The Lakers future would have been compromised, their financial flexibility evaporated into the Carmelo Anthony dust.
Two 25 point scorers on a roster is a nice, fantasy league projection. But when one of the scorers is 36 years old and north of 33,000 points and the other scorer has a knee no one in his organization thinks is stable, what is the gain?
More importantly, who would the Lakers have been able to sign to play with a Carmelo/Kobe combination?
Nick Young would have been gone. Jordan Hill would have been gone. Ed Davis did not sign a one year deal so he would be on someone else’s roster too. Forget Carlos Boozer and the amnesty waiver. The deal for Jeremy Lin would be kaput. Wesley Johnson, Ronnie Price, Wayne Ellington, Robert Sacre would still be Lakers with an additional grouping of other minimum salaried players with marginal skills.
It would have been a two man team, Kobe and Carmelo. Let that marinate.
Kobe already has had to take a week off. And restructure his game. And now, Carmelo is being gently pushed to consider this season as a rehab season.
The Knicks are a study in misery. They are the one team at the bottom of the standings that you can count on to not play hard. The 76ers give max effort, they are just young and inexperienced. Same with the Magic, Jazz and T-Wolves. The Pistons are playing as if their early season coma is now over thanks to a Josh Smith exile. The Lakers play hard, they just don’t have the personnel to defend and finish. But the Knicks…they have won 1 game in six weeks. The Knicks play in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks rely on Carmelo Anthony.
Of course, his critics will say this is who Carmelo is. He can’t carry a team; he doesn’t even want to. He wants his points. He wants his fame, and that’s about it. Carmelo has lost in the first round of the playoffs eight times. No other current All-Star with his years of experience has done that. Not Lebron, not Wade, not Kobe. Why exactly is he a max player?
Dec 27, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is fouled by Sacramento Kings forward Reggie Evans (30) in the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The maximum contract that is due to pay Carmelo Anthony $126 million over its entirety now looks questionable. Knee injuries- think Brandon Roy– can go south in a hurry.
The last thing the Lakers needed was another injured player. We barely survived the Steve Nash years.
Houston Rockets General Manager, Daryl Morey, believes you can’t have too much talent. Talent finds a way to figure things out. But talent must be healthy and talent must be in their prime and talent has to be able to lead men somewhere.
The Lakers were ready to take a gamble on Carmelo Anthony, to build around him as a cornerstone. It would have cost them $96 million dollars, a price they were willing to pay. But if Carmelo Anthony has one career accomplishment on his resume he can say this with certainty: he saved the Lakers from their star-loving selves. He saved their financial future.