As if it needed any explanation, Carmelo Anthony explained why he didn’t consider a reunion with the New York Knicks.
At this stage of his career, Carmelo Anthony’s top priority should be chasing that elusive first ring with a playoff contender.
It makes sense, then, that the New York Knicks were nowhere near his radar during 2020 free agency.
According to The New York Post’s Marc Berman, Melo explained why he never considered a reunion with the Knicks this offseason:
“At this point, it wasn’t really a lot [of consideration],” he said on a Zoom call Friday. “The Knicks were making moves and were trying to figure out the direction they wanted to go in. They weren’t done making moves. I’m sure they have a plan. I don’t think me coming in and trying to mess their plan up was good for either party.
“They are rebuilding and figuring out what’s in their near future. It was me personally wanting to be part of a situation I was already comfortable with. I just finished playing with these guys two, three months ago. I felt it was the right fit at this point of time where I’m at right now this particular year.”
Carmelo Anthony shouldn’t even have to answer Knicks questions at this point
The New York Post had previously reported that the Knicks were interesting bringing in Anthony and Chris Paul, but neither one wound up materializing. That makes sense for everyone involved, since New York needs to focus on developing its bevy of young but flawed cornerstones, while aging veterans like CP3 and Melo have their sights set on competing for playoff teams.
The Portland Trail Blazers are a far better, established playoff team, and after getting Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins back healthy and adding Robert Covington to the mix, they’re ready to make some noise in the Western Conference.
So as much as Melo enjoyed his seven NBA seasons in the Big Apple, it’s pretty much a no-brainer why he didn’t even consider a reunion.