Carmelo Anthony can't wait for the Olympics to remind him what winning feels like
It's a good thing that Syracuse is still playing in this year's NCAA tournament. Otherwise, Carmelo Anthony might really be in a bad place.
It's been a rough year for Melo and the New York Knicks. Actually, scratch that; it's been a rough few seasons for the Knicks. And Anthony has been at the forefront the entire time.
So despite the fact that his good friend (and "The Brotherhood" comrade) Chris Paul has ruled himself out for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Anthony is still pretty excited to play for Team USA -- because it will remind him what winning feels like.
.@carmeloanthony on the upcoming Olympics & @swish41’s legacy. #Knicks
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 29, 2016
WATCH https://t.co/10IeoN620H pic.twitter.com/12VGugqkok
“From a morale standpoint as a player, if you’ve been through the things I’ve been through the past couple of years you want to feel what that success feels like. You want that success,” he said. “So the Olympics for me is great timing.”
“Mentally, I think it’s good for me to go out there and feel what (winning) feels like again,” he said.
Poor Melo. It sounds like he could use (another) hug. But has it really been that bad?
Let's see:
1. 2014-15 was the worst season in Knicks history. Ever. EVER.
2. The Knicks got off to a decent start to the 2015-16 season before firing coach Derek Fisher and replacing him with Kurt Rambis, who basically called the team a bunch of ball hogs.
3. Before Fisher was fired, he was involved in an altercation with current NBA player Matt Barnes -- again, while actively serving as an NBA head coach.
4. On Tuesday, reports of a rift between Rambis and Knicks guard Arron Afflalo surfaced, with Rambis insisting that the two talked about Afflalo's benching while Afflalo denied any such conversation.
5. Melo has shot below his career average from the floor for the past five seasons (although he was just a hair under his career mark in 2013-14).
6. The Knicks have had 29 players under contract in the past two seasons -- a number that doesn't include Jimmer Fredette, who's part of the organization but hasn't played for the Knicks outside of their D-League team and one 10-day deal with the big team.
7. Almost every conversation Melo's had with the media this year has centered on his no-trade clause, which for some reason he refuses to waive even while the team reaches new low after new low.
Huh. When you line it all up like that, the answer to Anthony's query about why he hasn't had as much success as some of his superstar contemporaries is pretty obvious.
And we can't say we blame him for looking forward to the Olympics, either. After all, don't forget that he set a Team USA record for most points in an individual game (37) in 2012:
