If during the pandemic you were to place a bet on which player on the Knicks list for 2020-21, Elfrid Payton or Carmelo Anthony, the smarter game would have been the former Syracuse star.
But there was Payton on a Zoom call from Portland on Sunday after the Knicks shootaround talking about his game against the Blazers’ superstar Damian Lillard – still Anthony’s teammate.
Payton stabilized the points guard position at the start of the Knicks by 8-9. Anthony has opted to re-sign with the Blazers for the $ 2.6 million NBA veteran. The Blazers now urgently need Anthony with studs CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic for a long time.
Did the Knicks have to play a tougher game with Anthony as they were caught with $ 18 million in salary tax?
A case can be made, yes, because of their lack of offensive talent – the 30th place in the league with an average score of 101.3 points.
On the other hand, the case is stronger, Knicks president Leon Rose has made the right call not to go into an all-in on his former client in November. The Post reported that Rose’s dream duo, after accepting the post, added Chris Paul and his partner Anthony.
Anthony, at 36, is still attracting attention. His presence could have been disruptive if things did not go his way in terms of playing time and ball touch. What’s more, the Knicks have established an identity as a grim, defensive first ball club. This is not Anthony’s calling card.
Could Julius Randle have had this breakout season with Anthony, who plays both small and power forward, on the rankings? Probably not. Randle needs the ball, has it on most possessions. Anthony also did most of his career.
To play a lesser role in a winning Portland program with Lillard and McCollum is an easier proposition than Anthony to reduce his role with an unknown cast of Knicks that would begin the 2020-21 campaign.
Randle may not have had the confidence to make himself as the alpha male with Anthony with him in the starting lineup.
In addition, RJ Barrett was moved to a more small forward role alongside Reggie Bullock when he started shooting to give Barrett fewer ball handling duties. Anthony’s presence would have cleared Bullock away and given Barrett the shooting guard role.
Bullock, who does not need the rock, started all the games when he was healthy – 15 of the first 18. He would miss Sunday’s game with neck pain. As long as Bullock was available, coach Tom Thibodeau kept to the same starting lineup.
“I think we have a good balance,” Payton said Sunday. ‘Everyone gives each other space to do what they do well. And guys is, RJ found a very good groove, he plays very well. Julius has been doing this all year. ”
Despite his three-point shooting misery, Barrett was a relentless bull with a car that did not stop. He may also be hampered in an offense in which Anthony wants the ball – more to shoot than to create.
Barrett beat Anthony in the pickup games at Columbia before his rookie season. Anthony could have served as a great mentor, but you never know how it would have played out.
Remember his former Denver teammate Chauncey Billups accused Anthony of caring more about his stats than winning.
‘It meant too much because he could have games where he had 20, 22 [points]”We’re winning the game and he’s crazy, ” Billups said in 2019.
As Bulls coach, Thibodeau pursued Anthony when he was a free agent in 2014 and worked with him at Team USA.
“He’s had an incredible career – an amazing experience of all time,” Thibodeau said before the game. ‘The fact that he’s still going speaks volumes about who he is. A man with a high character represented himself well. He has achieved quite a bit. ‘
In the early days of training camp, Anthony said the stars were not in line for a Knicks reunion.
‘At this point it was not really much [of consideration], ” Anthony said. The Knicks have been moving and trying to figure out which direction they want to go. I’m sure they have a plan. I do not think I come in and try to confuse their plan was good for any party.
‘They are building up and figuring out what will be in their near future. I personally wanted to be part of a situation I was already comfortable with. I felt it was the right pace at this time where I am right now this year. ‘
In his second season with the Blazers, Anthony averaged 12.2 points, shooting 40.5 percent – 45 to 3. He scored just 1.2 points in 1.2 minutes.
As Jeff Van Gundy remarked, the Knicks are going “nowhere” until they have improved their “offensive talent”. ‘
With the establishment of a new order from Randle and Barrett, it might not be crazy to add Anthony to the deadline. The Blazers, who are proud to revive Anthony’s career this past season, will obviously not be keen if the current injuries torpedo their season by the end of March.
Portland signed Anthony to a one-year deal with a deep playoff game. The Knicks are trying to avoid another lottery. They want to be in a playoff game for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they were in it until the last few days.
With actually ten teams qualifying – the 7-10 pips in a playoff game – the Knicks were able to sneak in. They were eighth in a row in Sunday’s action.
It was the smart move not to play a big play for Anthony in November. But do not exclude anything in the future.