Carmelo Anthony gets big ovation in return to Madison Square Garden as spectator
NEW YORK — The highlights began on the Madison Square Garden video board and the cheers started building.
Then the camera showed Carmelo Anthony sitting in his baseline seat. The crowd erupted.
Anthony stood up and waved, taking in the thunderous ovation.
Technically a member of the Chicago Bulls for now, Anthony was on hand to watch his old team play his close friend Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat on Sunday.
It was a warm reception for the former Knicks star.
"He was the one when you came in here, you were like, 'Oh goodness. We gotta get ready for this guy,' " Knicks coach David Fizdale said before the game. "He could put 50 on your head. He made this place electric. He really did. And I know that was one of those things, him being a New Yorker too, just added a whole other air to it. I know him being here tonight means a lot to the guy in the other locker room, D-Wade. They’re really close and really good friends."
They showed a video tribute to Carmelo and he got a huge ovation from the crowd #Knickspic.twitter.com/L82xBObrRx
— Chris Iseman (@ChrisIseman) January 28, 2019
Traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Knicks in February of 2011, Anthony spent six-plus seasons in New York. Things turned sour in the end, though, with former team president Phil Jackson criticizing him with cryptic tweets.
The Knicks ultimately traded Anthony to the Thunder before last season, and he stayed in Oklahoma City for a year.
But as an aging superstar, Anthony is struggling to find a new fit.
The Thunder traded him to the Atlanta Hawks in July, but the Hawks promptly waived him so he could become a free agent. Anthony then signed with the Houston Rockets to join Chris Paul, James Harden and his former head coach with the Knicks, Mike D'Antoni.
It didn't work out.
Houston got off to a slow start, and Anthony came off the bench in eight of the 10 games he played in. He averaged 13.4 points per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the the field and 32.8 percent from 3-point range.
Anthony just didn't fit what the Rockets were trying to do. Rather than Anthony take a reduced role, the sides decided to part ways.
Anthony isn't the player he used to be, but Wade believes his friend can still help a team.
It's just a matter of which team.
"Of course," Wade said. "It’s about the right fit. It’s about the right mentality. The toughest part for GMs, presidents, owners and players is how to handle an aging superstar, right, in this game. It has to all work perfectly. Everyone has to make the right sacrifices. And it has to be the right group and it has to be the right coach. It has to work perfectly when it’s an aging star in this game. And unfortunately his last stop in Houston, it wasn’t the right stop. But Carmelo can play basketball."
Fam!#ThisIsWhyWePlaypic.twitter.com/nI5NjR9tCy
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 28, 2019
There's been speculation that Anthony could join LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Heat have also been mentioned as a possible destination.
But for now, Anthony remains a member of the Bulls until they part ways with him before the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
"The biggest thing for me is, as a friend, I just want to make sure that he’s doing good," Wade said. "Forget basketball. I just want to make sure that everything that’s happened in the last year and a half, whatever, that his mental (side) is okay and that’s doing alright. He seems to be. Through our conversations I can tell, the videos are sent in our group chat, I can tell all those things, that his spirit is up, that he’s feeling better."
Anthony wasn't the only friend Wade reconnected with Sunday night.
Wade is still close friends with Fizdale going back to the time they spent together in Miami.
The Knicks have endured a rough season, entering Sunday at 10-37. They're the youngest team int he NBA, and it's showed.
Wade believes Fizdale can oversee a turnaround, but it's going to take some time.
"When he took the job he knew this is going to take time," Wade said. "It’s going to take time to put the right personnel around, for him to implement his system, the culture that he’s trying to bring here. Unfortunately for New York fans, you’ve got to have patience. I know New York fans are like, 'We’ve had patience.' But you can’t win if you don’t have the right talent around. Look in this league, to compete you’ve got to compete against DeMarcus (Cousins), Steph (Curry), Klay (Thompson), Draymond (Green) and Kevin Durant. So you all can be patient. It’s going to be a while."
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