If you bet during the pandemic which player would be on the Knicks roster for 2020-21, Elfrid Payton or Carmelo Anthony, the smartest move was the former Syracuse star.
But there was Payton in a Zoom call from Portland on Sunday after the Knicks talked about their clash against Blazers superstar Damian Lillard, who was still Anthony’s teammate.
Payton has stabilized the guard position during the Knicks’ 8-9. Anthony opted to re-sign with the Blazers for the NBA veteran’s $ 2.6 million minimum. The Blazers desperately need Anthony now with tacos CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic for an extended period.
Should the Knicks have played more Anthony, considering they were left with $ 18 million in maximum space?
A case could be made, yes, due to his lack of offensive talent, which ranked 30th in the league in the average score with 101.3 points.
On the other hand, the case is stronger Knicks president Leon Rose made the right call by not making his former client all-in in November. The Post has reported that Rose’s dream duo, after taking the job, added Chris Paul and his friend Anthony.
Anthony, 36, is still striking. His presence could have been disruptive if things hadn’t gotten out of his way in terms of playing time and ball touches. More precisely, the Knicks have established an identity as a classic defensive ball club. This is not Anthony’s business card.
Could Julius Randle have this season of bewilderment with Anthony, who plays both small and forward, on the roster? Probably not. Randle needs the ball, he has it in most possessions. For much of his career, Anthony did the same.
Making a minor role in a Portland-winning program with Lillard and McCollum is an easier proposition than Anthony reducing his role with an unsettled Knicks cast that would have started the 2020-21 campaign.
Maybe Randle didn’t have the confidence to become the team’s male alpha with Anthony with him in the starting lineup.
In addition, RJ Barrett has been moved to have a smaller role with Reggie Bullock when he started shooting to give Barrett less ball handling tasks. Anthony’s presence would have wiped out Bullock and given Barrett the role of gunner.
Bullock, who doesn’t need the rock, started all the games when he was healthy, 15 of the first 18. He had to miss Sunday’s game with neck pain. While Bullock was available, coach Tom Thibodeau was left with the same starting unit.
“I think we have a good man balance,” Payton said Sunday. “Everyone is given space to do what they do well. And the guys are, RJ has found a really good groove, he’s playing really well. Julius has been doing it all year. “
Barrett, despite his three-point shooting problems, has been a relentless bull with a non-stop engine. He may also have been battered in an offense in which Anthony would want the ball, rather than throw than create.
Barrett fought with Anthony before his debut season in pickup games at Columbia. Anthony could have been a fantastic mentor, but you never know what that would have been like.
Recall that his former Denver teammate, Chauncey Billups, accused Anthony of worrying more about his stats than winning.
“I wanted to say too much because I could have games where I had 20, 22 [points]we won the game and he’s crazy, ”Billups said in 2019.
As a Bulls coach, Thibodeau pursued Anthony when he was a free agent in 2014 and worked with him at Team USA.
“He’s had an amazing career, a great one of all time,” Thibodeau said before the game. “The fact that he is still talking a lot about who he is. A boy of high personality, he represented himself well. He has achieved a lot ”.
In the early days of training camp, Anthony said the stars were not lined up for a Knicks reunion.
“It simply came to our notice then [of consideration]”Anthony said.” The Knicks were making moves and trying to figure out where they wanted to go. I’m sure they have a plan. I don’t think going in and trying to mess up his plan was good for either party.
“They are rebuilding and finding out what is in the near future. I personally wanted to be a part of a situation I was already comfortable with. I felt it was the right time at the moment I’m in this particular year. “
In his second season with the Blazers, Anthony has averaged 12.2 points, shooting 40.5 percent – 45 out of 3. He has averaged just 1.2 assists in 25 minutes.
As Jeff Van Gundy pointed out, the Knicks “go nowhere” until they improve their “offensive talent.”
With a new Randle and Barrett order established, perhaps adding Anthony to the trade term is not crazy. Of course, the Blazers, who are proud to resurrect Anthony’s career last season, won’t be anxious unless the current injuries torpedo their season before the March end commercial deadline.
Portland signed Anthony on a one-year contract with his eyes on a deep tie. The Knicks try to avoid another lottery. They want to be in the middle of a playoff run for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they were there until the last two days.
With essentially 10 teams ranked, the 7-10 goals facing off in a game test, the Knicks could sneak in. They were eighth in Sunday’s action.
The smart decision was to refuse to make a big play for Anthony in November. But don’t rule anything out in the future.