With Kevin Love, now out for the All-Star Game, Carmelo Anthony has been chosen in his place. There were many other viable candidates to replace Love. Such as Bradley Beal, Hassan Whiteside, Kristaps Porzingis, and Dwyane Wade. However, I for one, am thrilled with the NBA’s decision to choose Melo and believe they made the right choice.
I have never been a big Carmelo Anthony fan. I’ve said things such as him not being a winner and being a ball stopper on offense. I’ve been critical of his defense throughout his career. Even said he can’t be “the guy” to lead a team to an NBA championship. You can agree or disagree, but one thing that we have to do is pay Melo the homage he deserves. This season has been a shit storm for the Knicks in every god damn way, it’s almost sad. But the one person who has remained true to himself and the Knicks is Camelo Anthony. He has shown to me that he deserves to be a part of the All-Star team.
It seems like it’s been years Melo has been on the trading block. It’s so out in the open and no secret to anyone that Phil Jackson is no fan. Or at least not anymore he isn’t. Melo has had to go to work every day knowing that he is being shopped and that management does not want him. This can’t be easy. It’s like being in an open relationship with your girlfriend and her actively looking for someone else. Well, that would suck. I wouldn’t wanna go on dates with her our take her out. Yet, Melo continues to go to work, grind, and give it his all day in and day out. He blocks out the noise and stays above water, something I honestly don’t think I would be able to do in this situation.
Then we have the Dolan-Oakley debacle. What a fucking mess. Imagine being Melo playing for that team with this whirlwind off the court. Nobody knows what’s going on. You have an owner who is inept at doing his job to put it nicely. A team president who is trying to blame you, the star player, as the scapegoat. Even though all you’ve done is your job and he can’t seem to do his. Then you have former and loyal Knick great Charles Oakley who has been disrespected time and time again. Oakley has been critical of management and the Knicks in past years because they suck. He loves the organization and hates that they suck. Can’t blame him for that, but Dolan of course does. Then when asked what you think of everything going on you STILL take the high road?? You exemplify that you are a professional even though every part of you wants to scream and go off on everyone. Including the horrific New York media which can twist things as much as a corkscrew. Yet, you still stay out of the noise. You say that you agree with upper management and their decisions and going to let them do their job and continue to do yours. That’s loyalty.
Melo has had every reason to act like a four-year-old in a sandbox, yet continues to control what he can control. Still proving to be one of the elite scorers at the age of 32, on a struggling franchise contributing 23.4ppg. So you can get mad that he doesn’t play great defense or that he won’t lead the Knicks to a title. But you can’t say that he doesn’t care or doesn’t take pride in what he does. Melo has shown his true colors of exemplifying that he is a class act and is the bigger man. He has shown what the word professionalism means. And he has shown us all that he is worthy of his tenth All-star selection and seventh in a row. I commend the NBA on their selection and their reciprocation of loyalty to Carmelo Anthony, who continues to be disrespected day in and day out by his own franchise.
