The Knicks are held hostage by the burning question of whether Carmelo Anthony is staying or leaving, and so far the star forward has been coy and noncommittal. But the person who presumably knows Anthony best — his wife LaLa — said he not only wants to stay in New York, but will stay.
“I definitely think he will stay. I know that he wants to stay, and I support him wherever he wants to go,’’ LaLa Anthony said in an interview with Bravo TV’s “Watch What Happens Live”. “Listen, I used to live in Denver with him: If I can live in Denver, I can live anywhere. I just want him to be happy.’’
Anthony, the reigning NBA scoring champion who is under contract through 2014-15, has said he’ll opt out of his deal after this season to test free agency. But opting out isn’t the same as leaving, since he can earn $33 million more by opting out and re-signing with the Knicks. The question is can the disappointing Knicks — 17-27 going into Tuesday’s game versus Boston — build a champion around Anthony?
“That’s the only thing I care about. Anything else is irrelevant to me as far as when it comes to basketball. Championship is the only thing that’s on my mind, is the only thing I want to accomplish, I want to achieve,’’ said Anthony, adding ominously “and I’m going to do what I got to do to get that.’’
That could mean scoring 62 points every night as he did last Friday, or leaving for a contender, or pressuring the Knicks into giving him a better supporting cast. In essence, get a ring by any means necessary.
“That’s my motivating factor. Nothing else even motivates me anymore: Just that,’’ said Anthony. It was a more passive-aggressive version of the prodding friend Kobe Bryant used in the summer of 2007 to force the Lakers to trade for Pau Gasol, earning the Black Mamba two more rings. It’s also the kind of move Bryant seemed to suggest Anthony use on the Knicks.
“It’s important for the organization to understand the level of competitiveness that you have, that you won’t tolerate having a team that is not in contention for an NBA championship, which is what I did,’’ the injured Bryant said Sunday, before watching Anthony score 35 points in the Knicks’ 110-103 win over the Lakers.
“It rubbed a lot of people the wrong way but sometimes you got to kick down a few doors and [tick] some people off and trust that it will pay off in the long run. If you are willing to do that, more times than not, you will be OK. … I wanted to make sure I had a team around me that could contend for a championship.’’
Asked how that would impact his decision whether to stay a Knick or seek greener pastures — or more competitive teams — elsewhere, Anthony backpedaled like a defensive back.
“It’s hard to say at this very moment how it affects me, but for me I’ve got to keep that motivation into the “now,” and when that time comes, you deal with that situation then,’’ said Anthony. “My confidence level [in the Knicks] will never change. We’re having our trouble right now, but we’ve got to deal with that.
“I can’t turn my back and just say I don’t want to deal with it. I’ve got to deal with it face-to-face, and that’s what I’m doing right now. Hopefully we get through this slump we’re in and try to make a push. But right now I’m taking it one game at a time and see what happens. When that time comes for me to figure out what I want to do with my future, then that time will come and I’ll deal with that at that time.’’
Anyone wondering what reason Anthony would have to stay in New York should remember he has over 33 million of them, to paraphrase Terrell Owens’ agent. He can command a five-year, $129 million deal from the Knicks, while other teams like the Lakers or Bulls can only give him a maximum of $96 million over four years.
Coach Mike Woodson said: “A lot of things play into it when you’re desperately trying to win a title. We all chase it. I’ve been chasing it too, as a head coach. So it’s good that he thinks along those lines.’’