Carmelo Anthony. Things have always looked easy for this graceful man who won a national championship his freshman year in college and leaped straight to the pros, maxing out contract after contract. But Anthony’s NBA teams have never been great — and since he’s always been the best player on them his reputation has sometimes languished. Yet one look at Anthony’s play for USA Basketball makes it clear he’s among the best players in the world — standing out even among this cast of stars. (Anthony averaged almost a point a minute in the 2012 Olympics; he had 20 points in 15 minutes in Tuesday’s USA-China matchup.)
That Carmelo Anthony who plays so well surrounded by great talent is exactly who Knicks fans hope to see at Madison Square Garden in the fall. The Knicks have, after much travail, put together what newcomer Derrick Rose calls a “Superteam.” The brilliant Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony, Rose, Joakim Noah, are all national team-type players who’ll be in Knicks uniforms. Anthony is a star among stars on the Dream Team. It’ll be a new Knickerbockers era if he’s the same thing back in New York City.
