Getty Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony has not played NBA basketball since November 8 against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith knows why he isn’t in the league.
Without question they’re doing him wrong,” Stephen A. Smith told Power 105’s The Breakfast Club hosts DJ Envy, Charlemagne and Angela Ye on Thursday morning.
“Melo belongs in the league. There are 250 players, let alone 450 plus players better than Carmelo Anthony. Now you’re making the argument that the ball stops moving when he’s on the court, which is legitimate, but I think what people are missing is what’s happened to the NBA game. You’ve got a bunch of these white dudes that are analytics dudes and so they’re numbers crunchers. Everything is according to PER and all of this other stuff; all of these statistical categories. But what has happened is, they’re looking at that and using that to frame rosters. Because if you go to an owner and an owner of a particular team doesn’t know basketball, what’s their position? I know numbers!”
A 10-time NBA All-Star, Anthony has averaged 24.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his 16-year career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.
In an interview with Taryn Finley of the Huffington Post, Melo suggested that he is at peace with the fact he may not play much longer. “I’m sure [retirement is] coming soon,” he said.
“I’d be sitting lying to you if I said it’s not coming soon. I think I want it to come soon. I don’t think I want to do this forever, but because you love it so much, it’s hard to give it up. At the end of the day, at anything you do, when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go. But as long as you feel good with that.”
Etan Thomas, the 12th pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2000 NBA Draft suggested something similar to me late last month. “I think the media right now is trying to blackball him,” he told Scoop B Radio. “And I”m trying to figure out why.”
While Carmelo Anthony has been away from the game, he’s been spending a ton of time going to his son, Kiyan’s basketball games.
“He’s a great player,” New York Knick, Lance Thomas told me in December.
“He’s a great teammate, most importantly he’s a great human being and he’s always been a great advocate for the NBA as a brand. So I just want him to get back on a team and play the sport he loves that’s paved a way for him and his family, and he just loves to play basketball, so I really want him back on a team.”
Now, the 35-year-old is waiting for the best deal to come around.
Melo joining the Brooklyn Nets from a basketball standpoint makes sense.
The Nets have a potent roster with names like Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie complimenting Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
The Nets will likely be without Durant this season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Shaquille O’Neal likes the new-look Nets because it gives New York something to talk about in hoops other than the New York Knicks.
“Jay-Z gave them a little steam when he said he was the owner,” Shaq told Scoop B Radio.
“He’s going to be there with KD so they should make a lot of noise. The only unfortunate part for the first time in New York history the Knicks aren’t the important team. That’s kind of funny to me.”