SAN ANTONIO — A bearded Carmelo Anthony was photographed with a fat cigar in his mouth at a New Year’s Eve party, though there was no word on his 2014 resolutions.
Thursday night he can start making a statement on the most important new year of his career. After missing the past three games, Anthony makes his return as the Knicks start their Texas Triangle trip in San Antonio.
There are valid reasons why Anthony might decide 2014 will be his last calendar year as a Knick, with the club crashing and burning.
On Christmas, Stephon Marbury sat four rows behind the Knicks’ bench — his first visit to the Garden in three years.
Anthony sat on the bench in a brown suit, missing his first game with a sprained left ankle. Marbury and Anthony are products of Brooklyn — Coney Island and Red Hook, respectively. Marbury became such a pariah among Knicks fans the Garden didn’t have the heart last week to put him on the scoreboard for a “once-a–Knick-always-a-Knick” introduction.
“He saw Marbury get heckled by some fans on Christmas,’’ one source told The Post. “He doesn’t want to be the next Marbury. He’s very sensitive.”
Anthony proved that sensitivity Tuesday when a fan heckled him on Twitter after he promoted the release of his new shoe , writing Anthony should care more about winning a title and it’s “disappointing” rooting for him.
Uncharacteristically, Anthony responded, “I didn’t ask for your glazed donut face ass to root for me anyway!!!!” The tweet was later deleted.
Anthony doesn’t want to be a poster boy if the Knicks spiral into a losing era, and it could influence his thinking when he makes his decision come July. Though still undecided, there’s part of him that may want to bail if he thinks the Knicks’ ship completely sinks. He does not want to be the scapegoat.
Anthony wants to play for a winner, but desperately wants to play in a big market because of his business ventures — his Jordan Brand sneaker line, his PowerCoco energy drink, his watch deal.
That is why New York, Los Angeles, where he has a home, and even Chicago are on his short list, according to a source. The source said the Clippers — with buddy Chris Paul — are more attractive than the Lakers, though the purple-and-gold have cap space and the Clips don’t.
The Lakers also have coach Mike D’Antoni, for now. It’s hard to imagine Anthony wanting to play for him again, not after the battle they went through in New York. Of course, there is no guarantee D’Antoni will be around.
The Clippers would need to do a sign-and-trade to net Anthony, likely with Blake Griffin. The Knicks only would appease Anthony if a threat existed of losing him for nothing to a team with cap space.
The Bulls would intrigue Anthony, too, because he has a lot of respect for coach Tom Thibodeau, according to a source.
But Anthony’s preference is to remain with the Knicks if he sees a solid plan in place — one that could include Kevin Love in 2015. It was one of the chief reasons president Steve Mills was hired and Glen Grunwald fired. Owner James Dolan and his lieutenants thought Mills could convince Anthony of their future plan better than Grunwald, who didn’t have a relationship with Anthony.
Though Mills hasn’t spoken to the media since the regular season began, he often chats with Anthony at practice. Mills also is close to power broker William Wesley, the CAA advisor who has Anthony’s ear. But it appears Mills has gotten positive feedback on Anthony’s intentions.
As The Post reported in July, Anthony would love for the Knicks to go after point guard Rajon Rondo, a 2015 free agent. But it’s unlikely Celtics general manager Danny Ainge would find a trade package appealing this summer. Ainge would need at least a first-round pick more current than the 2018 draft, and Iman Shumpert’s trade value has fallen.
Odds are, Anthony re-signs with the Knicks, but the caveat always has been: What happens if the Knicks become a disaster? They are in the early stages of becoming just that, with a 9-21 record.
Before the season’s second game in Chicago, Anthony told TNT he “wants to retire in New York.” But in late November, after ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported some of Anthony’s confidants were saying Melo had made his decision to leave, Anthony flatly denied it. But he didn’t come off too convincing the Knicks were a lock.
“With us losing and going through the situation we’re going through, I’d be selfish on my part, to my teammates, to the organization to even have that thought come across my mind,” he said.
He has given off strange vibes, saying the club was “a laughingstock,” and “in a dark space,” having “no chemistry” and “no fun.”
Would Anthony take $30 million less and choose a team over the money? He always has been about the better contract, forcing his Denver departure via trade because of the uncertainty of a lockout and a new collective bargaining agreement.
So the question remains. Will Melo be smoking that New Year’s Eve cigar in New York next Dec. 31?