There are officially 40 games remaining on the 2014-15 New York Knicks schedule.
Allow me to reiterate: there are 40 games left on this nightmarish, abysmal, apocalyptic season for Carmelo Anthony and company.
See, for Melo it’s not all bad. On gamedays and off-days, despite the sweeping tsunami of boos and lectures from Derek Fisher, at the end of the day Melo goes home to LaLa and sleeps in a home that you and I would need a genie to conjure up.
Guess what: $124 million can alter a mood real quick.
That’s why I’m a little boggled about Melo’s determination to not shut down his season and protect his knee – which apparently is going to require surgery after the season.
Phil Jackson just shipped off Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers – to drown on the other side of the lake – while actively shopping Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani.
Melo is essentially Starfox with a smoking engine.
Go ahead and call it. You’re not doing yourself or the team any favors by trying to play. We all can comprehend the fact you’re a competitor, and it’s not in you to quit. The basketballverse accepts that. However, your team is 6-36, and Willis Reed isn’t hobbling out of that locker room any time soon.
Now I’ve heard jibber-jabber about Melo not wanting to disappoint the fans because the All-Star Game is in New York/Brooklyn this year, and he wants to show out for the home crowd.
Super.
I can get on board with that, but after that, you need to shut it down.
Melo is like a rambunctious kid, tugging at his mom’s arm, begging for five more minutes of TV before bedtime.
It’s late, Melo. You need your rest.
Seriously, there’s been chatter about how this season was a wash just to set up the off-season for Jackson to acquire some real talent – a la Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo.
But what if they don’t head for the bright lights on Broadway?
Love might be a different story now. Who the hell knows what kind of web is spinning in his mind after the topsy-turvy season Cleveland has had?
Rondo might jump for the Knicks just to get paid because it isn’t happening in Dallas.
But if the Zen Master can’t reel in those big fish he’s going to be forced to rely heavily on the draft. And the Knicks are gunning hard for the No. 1 overall pick.
Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay are just waiting to be plucked off the draft board. What’s wrong, Melo? Are those names not big enough?
New York would be lucky to get either Love or Rondo – not both – because then they can draft either Okafor or Mudiay and not have to pay them as much for another four years.
I talk about Melo playing through the knee injury like it’s actually hurting the Knicks’ draft position. Look, they’re a six-win team in late January in spite of the fact Melo hasn’t shut himself down.
All signs point to them staying that way.
But we all know how long it can take for some players to recover from surgeries – assuming Melo will need it. Why not open the escape hatch now? Cement the team’s chances at a top-three pick and rest up to make a legitimate run next year, if you can add some help via free agency.
He’s letting pride dictate his decisions. A proud man is often stupid.
