Knicks: Why Pursue Carmelo?

Carmelo Anthony’s Knicks’ tenure can be described many ways, but overly successful is typically not among them.

So, why would the Knicks pursue Carmelo again, especially given his age?

There are a few very simple reasons this makes sense for the Knicks. Anthony is out to prove he’s the player we all witnessed with Portland, instead of the anomaly we saw with the Rockets.

In Portland, Anthony averaged 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per game. It was the highest minutes per game Anthony had played since 2016-17 — his last season in New York, and the last time he was an All Star.

So, the first reason to pursue him is he showed in Portland he’s still a contributor on a team that wants to win.

But the second reason is arguably even more important: Carmelo has been there before.

He’s been in the bright lights, he’s been the subject of all the media scrutiny, he knows the burden of expectation that sits on the shoulders of everyone who dons a Knicks uniform.

One reason the Knicks are often spurned in free agency is presumably because the prospects of winning can’t outweigh all of the expectations. But Anthony has been there before, and he knows the expectations and experience as well as anyone.