Today in The Works: Carmelo is a Knick. Now what?After The Rain
Carmelo Anthony hasn't played a game for the Knicks yet, but already, the course of history, and of the Knicks' history, has been altered forever. Come on board and join the fun.
Eric Freeman
The Knicks' offense will get better. Yes, I know, big surprise -- Carmelo Anthony has never scored fewer than 20 ppg in a season and currently averages 25 ppg. But his style is also deliberate and perhaps a poor fit for the talents of Amar'e Stoudemire, who also likes to have the ball as much as possible. The reason this will work isn't just that two great scorers are now on the same team -- it's that Mike D'Antoni is something of an offensive savant who's proven himself capable of adjusting his system before for Shaq and Amar'e in Phoenix, a combo that wasn't as ineffective as it's remembered. Furthermore, Melo and Stoudemire know what's on the line here. They'll make it work because their long-term prospects and legacies depend on it.
Chauncey Billups won't fit in. D'Antoni's system is at its best with a top-flight point guard at the helm, and Billups has been one of those before. The problem here is that his style works best in the half-court, where angles and experience take precedence over agility and quick decisions. Simply put, Billups isn't cut out for Seven Seconds or Less. This isn't a kiss of death for the Knicks -- Raymond Felton isn't close to an All-Star talent on any other team. But it does mean that Billups may see himself become a little irrelevant. And, most importantly for the Knicks, become a less valuable asset in a trade.
LaLa will not see an appreciable rise in her fame. Once upon a time, everyone thought that Melo wanted to be traded to a major market to help his wife's career. That rationale has dissolved as Melo has done little to stop trade negotiations, but the fortunes of LaLa Vasquez remain a silly subplot to this deal. LaLa is best known as a host of reality TV shows and specials, and that's likely to be her specialty moving forward, too. But one's talent doesn't improve when her husband moves to the Knicks, so don't expect a world takeover just yet.
Melo will see his star rise. Anthony is one of the league's most recognizable stars, but his endorsement profile is reasonably weak for an All-Star starter. Now that he's in New York, look to see his face on a lot more, particularly as one of the top two faces of Jordan Brand along with Dwyane Wade. Perhaps he won't win a championship, but that won't be much of a factor in the nation's top advertising city. Unless the Knicks implode, Melo is now a superstar with name recognition far beyond what Amar'e has experience so far as the savior of the franchise. He only needs to make sure to pick a decent number so his jersey be the league's bestseller, not just one of them.
You won't be able to grade this trade until after the Knicks' next deal. Anthony is a star, but this deal leaves the Knicks with several holes on the roster for the future. What it does make them, though, is a legitimate destination for other top talent. With the league's stars more often joining together on superteams like the Heat, having two stars in America's biggest city gives the Knicks a leg up on attracting another great like Chris Paul or Dwight Howard. This summer's collective bargaining negotiations may throw a wrench into this plan, but it also would've been a risk to pass on this deal because of CBA stipulations that may never go into effect. Either way, this deal can't be discussed in full until we see where the Knicks are in two years. If they're a legitimate contender, then this trade will have been the move that got them within striking distance.
Bethlehem Shoals
We will see the "markets don't matter anymore" theory completely and totally nullified. If you listen to people like me, or Twitter, or Nike, you might believe now that fame is no matter locale-dependant. The internet has connected us all; we all spend all day in front of our computers, anyway; no one can regularly afford to attend games; viral videos are the new chintzy billboard. But Melo to New York threatens to destroy all of this theorizing. Maybe LeBron James got bigger than Moses playing in Cleveland; it's true, Kevin Durant made a name for himself in Oklahoma City. As we have already seen with Amar'e Stoudemire, though, the opportunity for media synergy in New York City is positively otherworldly. Amar'e was given the royal treatment and didn't have the benefit of already being Carmelo Anthony. Melo a charismatic player and celebrity, part of a power couple, and except for what one might refer to as a Q-rating sophomore slump, has always been well-liked. Perhaps more so than his ability on the floor warrants.
Nate Silver will take over advanced basketball statistics: I've often said that, in the world of writin' about the NBA, it's expected that you will know a thing or two about fancy stats. No matter what your overall relationship with the game is. Full-fledged stats gurus are surprisingly well-rounded (with a few exceptions), instead of the Great Schism-like battles we see in baseball's media (and sub-media currents). However, in the lone run-up to the Carmelo Anthony trade, a foreign voice arrived to deliver what is perhaps the definitive statement on the then-Nuggets' worth as a player. Nate Silver was a notable seamhead before becoming the undisputed ace of election projection -- using advanced baseball stats. In The New York Times, Silver pointed out that even if Melo takes a lot of shots (the knee-jerk "he sucks" indicator for some folks), he almost always makes his teammates better for it. So congrats, Nate Silver. Why don't you go and take away our comic book future while you're at it?
Carmelo's reputation as a player will go way up. Look, in theory, this could go either way. You always hear about the bright lights, and crushing media, and high expectations. But look at Amar'e Stoudemire. He's hardly anyone's model of a perfect NBA player, but New York is so happy to have him, and so thoroughly dictates the national conversation, that he's been recast as an MVP candidate. Admittedly, a lot of that has to do with proving he do it without Steve Nash, as well as his ability to get along with his teammates. Really, though, it's not like Amar'e is showing longtime observers anything they haven't seen before. In Carmelo's case, then, look for the glass to go to half-full ... with a vengeance. The Bernard King comparison will rain down; his smooth, economical game will be hailed as a thing of beauty; his clutch-ness will be elevated to its rightful heights. Will it last? Who cares. Melo's probably never been correctly rated, by boosters or detractors, so consider this simply the latest chapter.
Landry Field, it's all on you. The Knicks gave up their entire young core to get Melo ... except for sleeper rookie Landry Fields. Fields has looked great this season, and there's every reason to suspect he was simply overlooked coming into the draft. Still, one has to wonder how he'll perform now that he's closer to a star than one of several young threats on the floor. Also, how is it possible that, weeks from now, New Yorkers won't start griping about which other guy they would have preferred to keep. They certainly have plenty of options.
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The Works is written by Bethlehem Shoals (@freedarko) and Eric Freeman (@freemaneric), who also contributes regularly to Ball Don't Lie. Their Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History is now available.
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