The Lakers, the Knicks or the Bulls. Los Angeles, New York or Chicago. Where would you choose to play?
Carmelo Anthony chose the New York Knicks when he re-signed with the team in July for a reported $124 million, five-year deal. He was pushing for the maximum of $129 million, but accepted the pay cut to stay in the Big Apple.
Other storied franchises were chasing his signature too.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls were considered the frontrunners along with New York, with teams like the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets on the periphery.
Winning-wise, the Bulls were the best option for the seven-time All-Star. Re-tooling with a healthy Derrick Rose and a dominating Joakim Noah, they looked to be one of the favourites in the East, even before LeBron James went home.
The Bulls have looked strong in the playoffs, even without their star point guard in recent years. Maybe the one addition they needed to reach the next echelon of post-season action was a player like Carmelo.
It was a general consensus that out of all the teams courting him, Melo’s best chance for that long coveted championship was in Chicago.
Los Angeles proved a tantalising option too – who would deny the opportunity to link up with one of the greatest players of all time in Kobe Bryant?
Carmelo had to weigh up the idea that Kobe could possibly be his best chance for a championship, but Kobe was coming off an achilles injury at 35, and the Lakers (at that time) didn’t even have a head coach.
Maybe we’re not giving the Knicks enough credit. They did win their first division title in 19 years in the 2012-2013 season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference before falling to the Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. A year later, they finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs entirely.
The problem with the Knicks is not their lack of contention in a fairly weak Eastern Conference, it’s the fact that they’re inconsistent.
In the period from 2000-2010, they went through seven head coaches, amassing a 327-493 record, making the playoffs three times and losing in the first round in each appearance.
It was a far cry from the glory days of the two NBA Finals appearances in the 1990s with Patrick Ewing and company. In comparison, in the same stretch of time, the Los Angeles Lakers had one coach, Phil Jackson. The ‘Zen Master’ led his team to a 520-275 record, appearing in six NBA Finals, winning four of them.
The constant with all of these teams, however, is how much change has occurred at each organisation since the beginning of the decade.
The Lakers have not reached the NBA Finals since Phil Jackson left at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season. The Bulls have had better playoff success, reaching the Conference Finals in the 2010-2011 season, before subsequent years were derailed by injury.
It’s not just about the records these teams have put together, it’s about the on-court and moves they’ve made too. The Lakers brought in Byron Scott as head coach and the Bulls signed Pau Gasol from the Lakers.
The Knicks brought on Phil Jackson as President and Derek Fisher as head coach. All signs point to a relative degree of optimism for all three of these teams, especially the Bulls who have a mass of proven talent among their ranks.
When analysing Carmelo’s decision, we must ask one question – is his best chance to win a championship in New York? The Lakers are a mess, even with their new signings. The Bulls are contenders, if Derrick Rose can stay healthy.
The Knicks are an interesting prospect though – how will they perform in the 2015-2016 season when they have cap space to work with and (presumably) a year of experience under Jackson and Fisher’s belts?
Carmelo said through it all, his “heart never wavered”, he was “a New York Knick at heart”. He wants to “stay and build with the team”. These sentimental quotes may be empty words if New York cannot achieve success soon.
Carcass
Guest
If you have ever been to America you would know that New York is the epicentre of sports, in particular basketball in not only the USA but the world. That is why Anthony stayed in the Big Apple. Bit like if you are 18 years old and you had the choice of Suns or a Carlton or Collingwood. Best fans in all of the sports of North America by some distance.
Shaun Mancini
Roar Pro
It's money, not really anything else except maybe Phil Jackson. Melo has always made sure that he is getting paid ahead of anything. He loves his money! I can't hate on him that much for that either. I mean when you are on such big money from such a young age is it that easy to just take millions less to attempt to win a championship somewhere else? It's pretty easy for us to say that he should just take $30Mill less but we are not in that situation. Plenty of athletes want to absolutely make as much money as they can in a career.
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
We'll see. I just think LeBron is too strong to beat, and realistically, the only team that can do it is the Spurs (or maybe the Thunder if they get lucky). The Bulls will hope to get to the Eastern Conference Finals, but if it's Bulls v Cavs, I'm taking Cleveland.
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
That's not saying that guys who don't win rings aren't as good as their championship-winning counterparts. Shaq won 4 championships, and is considered one of the best centers to ever play the game. Likewise, Sir Charles never won any championships, but he's still one of the greatest power forwards of all time. For me, personally, I value rings over non-rings. You, and others, may disagree, and that's your prerogative to do so.
Joe
Guest
Howard left a small amount on the table to go to Houston. When you factor in the huge tax difference between living in LA county as opposed to Houston, the net difference was minimal. Those guys making millions in LA pay fed tax about 35% then the state of CA puts their hand in for another 14% & LA County tax for those making over $100K is about 2.5% So to stay in LA he's losing 16% extra of his salary whereas Texas & Houston have neither state or city tax On top of that the cost of a mansion in Houston is a whole lot less than the same sized mansion in LA Howard left barely anything on the table when you crunch the numbers
Mushi
Guest
I tend to look at individual performance when evaluating an individuals ability to perform. The ring counting is just short cut analysis for those to lazy to think.
Mushi
Guest
Most likely sure but I wouldn't put them alongside the cavs? They are a pretty decent step behind assuming rose is fine. So whilst "better" as currently constructed they are still highly unlikely to be winning a title
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
Thanks Will! I appreciate it. I definitely agree money plays a big factor. I remember saying to friends that Melo would probably stay in New York purely because they could offer him the most - and I'm glad he did as a Knicks fan - but looking at it objectively, his best opportunity was clearly in Chicago. Yeah, people call him selfish etc, but he clearly stuck with the team because he sees the Zen Master has a vision. Come the 2015-2016 season, the Knicks have a very real opportunity to reel in a big player, and if they play their cards right this year, put together a strong season and make it into the playoffs, the lure could very well be there for a second star player (not to mention the lure of NYC anyway). Family definitely factored in too - he was (partly) raised there as you said, went to college there - his wife apparently loves it there, as does his son. I can attest to the city's greatness, I went there once when I was 12 and fell in love with it! He definitely contributes more offensively than defensively, and that's why I think some of the guys like Joe are so pessimistic about his talents - yes, he's not a great defender, but he can put on an offensive show every night, proven when he broke the US Men's Olympic record for most points in a game (37) and the New York Knicks' franchise record for most points in a game (62). He's achieved so much offensively, that if he doesn't capture that ring, he will be remembered for his offensive explosiveness as you said.
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
That's your decision to take money over rings, obviously. When I rank players, I tend to look at how many championships they have led their teams to in relation to how great their legacy is. People aren't going to look back on LeBron's career and say "Wow, he sure did make a lot of money, huh?", they're going to say "Wow, LeBron led his team to 4 NBA Finals, winning 2 of them" - and we haven't even seen what he can do with Cleveland MKII yet! You obviously dont rate him very highly, and that's your choice. I think he is one of the best small forwards in the league, but to make that jump to be considered an elite player and a winner, he needs to have a championship next to his name. Nobody ever said he was as good as Larry Bird or Scottie Pippen at the small forward position, because he isn't. But you can't deny that he's a great talent, and if he managed to capture a ring or two before his career is over it would definitely vault him up with there in discussion as a great player.
Will Lutwyche
Roar Rookie
Good article Jason – I think you have broken down well the basketball reasons behind Carmelo staying in New York really well. Whilst Joe is paining quite a pessimistic picture of how money influences a decision I think he is right in some respects. When there is such a large difference in the salary amounts – it has to factor in. Interestingly though, Phil Jackson came out and said that Melo took a pay-cut of $6 million too so that it would help the Knicks in the next off-season. This is obviously still a big difference from the 4-year $73 million contract that the Bulls offered him – but it does show his intent to want to make the team better. I think as well that family would have been factored into Melo’s decision. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He stated after re-signing with NY, “A few years ago I dreamed of coming back to New York City, the place of my birth, and on February 23, 2011 that became a reality.” He obviously is also not ready to give that up. In response to Anthony’s legacy, there is no doubting that Carmelo will be a Hall of Famer – but he has lost respect from many because of the lack of quality defence he plays. Just like the Knicks as you said Jason - his defence over the course of his career has been plagued with inconsistency. Anthony will forever be remembered for his offensive game. Perhaps before KD burst onto the scene a couple of years ago – there was a good stretch where by Melo was the hardest player to guard in the NBA. Unless he can win a championship – I think that’s what he will be remembered for. I want NY to be successful again– but I just wonder how long it will take Jackson to build a team around Carmelo and if he will be the same player in 3 or 4 years.
Jayme Markus
Roar Guru
Dwight Howard left money on the table to play in Houston. I think his 3 priorities were: 1 Winning, 2 Hates Kobe, 3 Money. Priorities 1 and 2 could be interchanged.
Joe
Guest
I'd rather have the money than a ring. Thats as easy a decision to make as there is.. And his legacy isnt gonna be tarred because he stayed in NY for more money, in 20 years nobody is even gonna remember what Carmelo's contract details were. And the whole "legacy" thing is totally overused anyway. Theres a handful of players in the NBA who need to actually worry about their legacy & Carmelo Anthony is SO far below that group (LeBron, Kobe, Duncan & possibly Durant) The rest of the league is a group of very good players who just need to worry about getting paid & if they're lucky, maybe pick up a ring or two along the way. If you're considering your legacy its because youre being compared to all time greats like Russell, Bird, Magic, Jordan etc Thats why LeBron & Kobe have to factor in their legacy, because theyve been put into the all timer list with those guys Nobody is putting Carmelo anywhere near that group. As for now he should be concerning himself with rounding out his game maybe focusing on the defensive end a bit, not his legacy, which is irrelevant in overall scheme of things.
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
I agree, if Carmelo had joined the Bulls, he would've been taking a huge risk in putting his trust in Derrick Rose (and his inability to stay healthy). Still, the Bulls were the most likely team to win a championship out of all the teams that were chasing him, and look to be favourites in the East alongside Cleveland.
Mushi
Guest
I'm a huge critic of Carmelo in that the only thing that has stopped him being a real top 10 player (including defence) is he is lazy and selfish. But. The pay cut Chicago was going to require (ny reportedly had zero desire to facilitate a sign and trade so they couldn't even offer the free agent max) was massive and you are still relying on a player that has had two leg injuries that have basically seen him lose the past two years. Given they are capped out, and the bulls are cheapskates despite being one of the most profitable teams, I can't see them being batter than 5th to 7th favourite to take it out. You don't take a massive pay cut like that to change teams just to be at a second tier contender
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
I agree, most of the time it's for the money, and in Carmelo's case, he wasn't gonna leave tens of millions on the table. But what these athletes have got to consider, is when it's all done and finished, what would you rather be entering retirement with - lots of money (which you probably wouldn't have at that point anyway because you'd spent it all), or a couple of championship rings? I know which one I'd rather have. To me, you go where you get the championship, not where you get the money. LeBron went back to Cleveland because it's clear Miami probably isn't gonna win any more Finals. Pau went to the Bulls because the Lakers are a mess, and Kobe and Nash aren't getting any younger or any healthier. Carmelo's best option for a championship was Chicago. If he wants to be seen as one of the great small forwards, up there with the LeBron's and KD's, he needs to go to a team who can at least get past the second round of the playoffs. He needs to win a championship to solidify his legacy. Hey, maybe he could even 'pull a LeBron', abandoning his hometown team just to chase that elusive ring. It worked out pretty well for the King. Much like LeBron's legacy will always be tarred with "he was too weak to win in Ohio, so he ran away to Miami", Carmelo's legacy (presumably) will always be tarred with "he was too greedy to want to win a championship, so he took more money".
Joe
Guest
He stayed in NY because they could pay him about $30 mil more than any other team was able to do under the salary cap rules Thats it, thats the reason.End of story. All these other factors you mention are total garbage. If Chicago was able to pay him $30 mil more than any other team, Carmelo would be in a Bulls jersey this season. The fans & talking heads in the media WAY over analyze the decisions these pro athletes make, trying to figure out what is the key to him staying or leaving. For the most part,80% of any contract decision is the money,10% is family & the remaining 10% is factors like team, chances of winning etc. The only times you'll see a player put winning as their #1 priority is in a situation like Karl Malone's back in '04 when he played in LA for just $1 million in the hope of getting that elusive ring. And in cases like that the player has already made SO much money over their career its really isnt about the money by then. Some will say LeBron & co did the same in Miami but it was a small paycut from their usual salary + LeBron & Bosh saved money going to Miami by avoiding state taxes they had to pay in Toronto & Ohio but its 0% in Florida But in general, when athletes are making a decision on contracts they have top 3 priorities & they're all the same. Money Money Money