On JJ Redick�s �The Old Man and the Three� podcast, Trail Blazers forward and future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony took the time to defend himself and respond to his critics. He said of his heavily scrutinized time with the New York Knicks, �I had over 100 different teammates in seven years. And you�re putting this on me?�
Anthony was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Knicks in 2011 for players and picks. He teamed up with Amare Stoudemire in The Big Apple on what had the potential to be a perennial championship contender. But unfortunately, the Knicks fell far short, making the second round just once before Stoudemire fell victim to injuries. Melo was the primary scapegoat.
Carmelo Anthony�s NBA career is an interesting one. He�s a first-ballot Hall of Famer with ten all-star appearances and a scoring title under his belt. However, despite his accomplishments in the league, there�s been endless amounts of criticism surrounding Anthony.
While Anthony deserves part of the blame for the Knicks� repeated shortcomings, he does have a point. He was playing in the same conference as the Big 3 Miami Heat. He was also on a franchise that owns only one playoff series victory in the last 20 seasons.
And as he mentioned, roster stability was nearly nonexistent. The Knicks went through five coaches in Melo�s tenure. They also failed to surround Anthony with much more than a young Kristaps Porzingis in his final years there. Frankly, it�s tough to ask anyone to do much with that situation. The Knicks were a sub-30-win lottery team before Anthony�s arrival and after his departure.
Three years removed from the Knicks at age 36, Anthony is one of the last remaining players from the fabled 2003 draft class. He had a strong resurgence this past season as part of the Portland Trail Blazers and should have another chance to disprove his doubters as he enters his 18th NBA season next year.
