The Decision vs. Melo Drama

Carmelo Anthony

After NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony was finally traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks on Monday Feb. 21, it ended a long saga that had perpetuated from the offseason following the 2009-10 NBA season. Though Anthony’s circumstances were overshadowed by LeBron James’ decision to sign with the Miami Heat this past offseason, one could tell that Anthony had an internal feeling of fleeing the city of Denver.

Anthony, the former third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, repeatedly refused to sign a $65 million dollar extension over the summer which created speculation that Anthony would wait until free agency to sign with another team. When the 2010-2011 season began and the Nuggets displayed an effort that was lethargic, the organization’s frustration peaked and a deal had to be made.

In retrospect, when analyzing how Anthony and James handled their situations, the two are very similar. Both players went an entire season leaving fans, teammates, coaches and owners perplexed about their dilemmas. Many are left to debate on whose “decision” was more irritating or rather annoying.

It seems like the organizations did their best to satisfy their superstars by placing well-rounded role players around them, but neither team could attain the goals that they were aiming for. James and the Cavaliers were eliminated in the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics in the last two seasons and Anthony’s Nuggets were continuously bounced from the playoffs by the upper echelon of the Western Conference teams. .

When James, who was the first overall pick in Anthony’s draft class, decided to “take his talents to South Beach,” he received criticism from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert which sparked conversations about racism being in the works. Now that Anthony is a Knick, Nuggets Head Coach George Karl has also criticized Anthony, to a lesser extent, about his attitude and defensive efforts.

This may be a typical trend for any superstar who decides to leave their small-market team for a franchise in a big city.

Some would agree that Anthony handled his assessment a little better than James. There was no hour long special on ESPN, Anthony said all of the right things in his interviews, and he did not have a homecoming concert when he joined his new squad. Surely the fans in Denver are upset because of the long awaited departure, but the team is still in playoff contention at 34-26, something Cleveland would trade for.

With the second half of the season remaining, everyone will be surveying closely to see if James and Anthony’s decisions will lead to multiple NBA Finals appearances.



LeBron James