Carmelo Anthony Believes The Perception Of The Knicks ‘Scared A Lot Of People Away’


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The Carmelo Anthony era with the New York Knicks had some positive moments but, for the most part, it was a roller coaster ride. Part of that potentially stemmed from the lack of a legitimate “second banana” during Anthony’s run in New York and, on Thursday, the now-Houston Rockets forward shed some light on what he believes may have factored in to the team’s inability to lure high-quality free agents.

Anthony, in speaking to Ian Begley of ESPN, indicated a belief that the “perception” of the organization at-large contributed to New York’s strikeouts in free agency.

“I think just the business,” Anthony said. “Everything that was going on. The perception of New York Knicks … not basketball but the organization.

“I think it probably scared a lot of people away,” Anthony continued. “Scared some people away. Not knowing the nuances and the ins and outs of kind of what was going on, who is in charge, who is not. So it was more than just basketball when it came to people making those decisions.”

It is entirely possible that the Knicks could have failed in luring elite free agents even with a better reputation but, in the same breath, it is undeniable that the franchise has been the butt of jokes at times in the recent past. New York’s biggest free agent acquisition during the Anthony era was Joakim Noah, who signed a widely-panned $72 million contract, and that probably didn’t help matters. Still, Anthony unquestionably would have benefitted from more help with the Knicks and he didn’t exactly hold back when asked about it in this instance.

Anthony is now at his second destination since leaving New York (third if you count Atlanta) and this all seems like water under the bridge at this point. With that said, the Knicks are already gearing up for another free agent run in July and, if nothing has changed in terms of the way top players feel about the club, it could be an uphill battle.

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