Orange Crush: Knicks' Pros and Cons of a Carmelo Anthony Reunion

Should the Knicks look into bringing back one of their rare new century silver linings?

Gary A. Vazquez, USA TODAY Photos

The New York Knicks are desperate for any sort of a good vibe as the 2022-23 season looms, one that could potentially set the pace for this latest iteration of the team's seemingly perpetual rebuild. 

It's why the Knicks would dare venture for a blast from the more recent past, one that has yielded countless headlines but very little in terms of success that truly matters in the grand scheme of things. Carmelo Anthony is responsible for some of the more pleasant memories of the team's otherwise morbid new century endeavors, including a scoring championship during the team's 54-win season in 2013. He has spent the last three seasons between Portland and the Los Angeles Lakers after a ten-game cameo in Houston in 2018-19. 

Though Anthony, named one of the NBA's 75 greatest players during its anniversary last season, is reaching the twilight of his career at 38, he has still proven to be a reliable scoring contributor off the bench, putting up 14 a game over the last three years. Anthony has reportedly expressed interest in working with the Knicks again, with the rival Boston Celtics potentially in pursuit as well.

Is it a reunion worth exploring? There are pros and cons ...

Pro: Anthony Knows How to Win

The one, single, morsel of ammunition that anyone arguing against Anthony's Hall of Fame case is that he hasn't won a championship. But his plethora of big-game experience and knowing what it takes to headline a championship team could come up big for a team that's looking for any source of veteran guidance. 

Anthony won't be relied upon to be a headliner anymore, but the Knicks don't need him to be that. This offseason may not have yielded a lasting, proven superstar like Donovan Mitchell but the group is nonetheless packed with potential. With the potential that RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson bring also comes a massive responsibility. Derrick Rose could well be relied upon as a mentor to Brunson at the one but Anthony's skillset as a small forward could be vital for Barrett's development, especially now that he's going to be an assured piece of the Knicks' future. 

During his time in Los Angeles, Anthony became such a reliable leader that even his close friend and brief teammate LeBron James deferred to him in the midst of a brutal season. If the Knicks could have a calming prescience like Anthony on their side, it could help a transition process go far more smoothly. 

Con: Let the Past Die

Anyone who associates themselves with the modern Knicks is immediately subject to a de facto "Knicks tax," one where every decision will be questioned until multiple Larry O'Brien Trophies are hoisted ... and even then there might be questions behind it. Look no further than the Mitchell situation: had the Knicks given into the Utah Jazz's multi-pick demands, they would've faced taunts of mortgaging their future for the prize of fourth place in the Eastern Conference. 

If/when Anthony returns to New York, it will bring attention and headlines to a team that doesn't need them. Anthony is already an established superstar that's coming to the most renowned market in basketball and beyond. Even if he's going to be, say, the ninth man in the Knicks rotation, every move that Anthony makes will be relentlessly scrutinized thanks to a combination of his celebrity, his prior Manhattan experience, and the team's propensity to exacerbate uncomfortable situations. 

It's perhaps better for Anthony to play out his days in relative basketball peace (i.e. Charlotte) or serve as the potential final missing piece for a championship contender like Boston. It perhaps wouldn't be fair to subject both a potentially retiring Anthony and a Knicks team in desperate need of peaceful basketball if they went their separate ways. 

Pro: Points Taken

Forgive us for stating the obvious: you can't win in the NBA when you can't score, especially when triple-digit finals are commonplace. By no coincidence, the Knicks' more recent seasons ... even their storied 2020-21 campaign that's probably the one thing that keeps Knicks fans lingering ... has seen them struggle mightily in the scoring department: they've finished no better than 26th in points per game in any of the past four years.

Therein lies Anthony's practical case for insertion in the New York rotation. 

Again to the point of experience, the Knicks' bench depth is mostly populated by potential-packed youngsters who were considered too valuable to part with in any Mitchell proceedings. The Knicks appear to have high expectations for, say, Quentin Grimes (Barrett's likely backup at the three) but if the team truly wants to contend and work with greater aspirations beyond the Play-In Tournament, Anthony would be a potable weapon off the bench. 

Con: Tom's Thumb

The cons against the Knicks and an Anthony reunion mainly stem from the fact that the former is trying to rebrand itself as a team working toward the future. They just dedicated big bucks to a new core of Barrett and Brunson. 

Going all out to appease the Jazz's Mitchell demands might've been something the Knicks of the early new century might've done. Heck, they partly did that when they traded for Anthony. Unprotected picks weren't a trading trend back then, but 13 players and three teams were involved in the trade that eventually obtained him from Denver in 2011. 

Many have often accused Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau of valuing his veterans over his younger talents. Some believe that's why players like Rose were kept off the table in the Mitchell conversation and why it was partly surprising they made such a strong effort to keep Grimes. Thibodeau appears to believe that the Knicks' best path back to hosting the better half of a playoff series is with veterans. Should Anthony truly get minutes that could instead go to, say, Grimes or Immanuel Quickley? Perhaps it's better to avoid that conversation entirely. 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags