Five-plus decades without a championship has given New York Knicks fans plenty of time to conjure up "what if" scenarrios and hardwood fanfiction.
Carmelo Anthony added to the ranks during a recent appearance on "Podcast P with Paul George," detailing a near team-up in Manhattan with LeBron James toward the end of the 2000s.
The ending needs little explanation, as James wound up teaming up with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami to form a fleeting yet fruitful super team with the Heat in South Beach. Anthony explained to George and his panel, which also included guest and newly-minted Knick Mikal Bridges, that the original plan was to connect with James ... preferably in New York.
"The conversation got serious after 06, 07, 08 with the Big 3. It was supposed to be Bosh and Wade and then me and Bron going somewhere. We just couldn't find out where," Anthony said. "We wanted it to be New York ... or Chicago, Chicago was in the fold."
At that time, Anthony and James were stationed with their respective original NBA employers in Denver and Cleveland. The two had formed a close friendship and had talked about collaborating on the floor but a combination of what the Nuggets had brewing and Anthony's self-described lack of "business savvy" shut things down before they could truly begin.
Pleased with the progress the Nuggets had made since he arrived in the Rockies in 2003 (going from 17 wins to three consecutive playoff appearances and breaking an 18-year division title drought in 2006), Anthony signed a five-year, $80 million extension after the 2005-06 season. James did not do the same in Cleveland (inking a three-year extension instead), setting the stage for a highly-publicized free agency pursuit in 2010.
"In my situation, I was in Denver, we were in the playoffs every year, we had 50-plus wins. We were building something in Denver, so I didn't want to leave," Anthony recalled. "So why take a three-year deal? Nah, I'm locked into this five-year deal ... then I got ridiculed for taking a five-year deal! You know where the f*** I come from? You're not leaving no money on the table."
Anthony's Nuggets continued to rise but went no further than the 2009 Western Conference Finals. He was eventually traded to the Knicks during the 2010-11 season and spent the next six full seasons in Manhattan.
By then, James had joined Bosh and Wade in Miami, indirectly rendering Anthony the Pete Best of the "Heatles" era. The trio played four seasons together and won two NBA championships before James returned to Cleveland.
Dec 7, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Unphased by the Heat's success, Anthony had no regrets on missing out on the South Beach craze.
"Imagine me at 23 years old, 24 years old, being the fourth option on (Miami) when I'm leading (Denver) every single year. I'm finding my way in this league," Anthony said. "You want me to leave that and go be a fourth option. I don't know how, mentally, I was going to be ready for that."
Though a championship was denied to him, Anthony still managed to put up an illustrious 19-year career that featured 10 All-Star appearances and a scoring title with the Knicks in 2013. As it stands, Anthony ranks 12th in all-time NBA points with 28,289 and is one of seven men to score at least 10,000 in a Knicks uniform.
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