Carmelo Anthony “Would Have Loved To Play With Kobe”
- Updated: October 27, 2014
For Carmelo Anthony, there is nothing better than being back in New York after a summer full of free agent visits and rumors. He decided it was best for him to commit to the Knicks and sign a five-year, $124 million contract, but only because he “felt more comfortable staying here in New York.”
Following the ESPN Magazine that reported Kobe’s attitude was the reason Anthony decided against the Lakers, he said
“Hell no. Of course not,” Anthony said. “If I thought that [playing for the Lakers] was the right situation for me from an overall perspective as far as having a team there, then I would have looked at that situation more in-depth. I just felt more comfortable staying here in New York. But as far as playing with him … I’m here now but I would always love to play with Kobe.”
Carmelo Anthony told ESPN that he considers Bryant a good friend and the two had several conversations outside of the scheduled pitch meeting. Still, he never felt pressured from Kobe or anyone else on the team.
“He wasn’t calling me every day and like, ‘Get over here! I want you here!'” Anthony said. “We had conversations about different situations whether it was in New York or in L.A., but it wasn’t to the point where it was non-stop calling or texting or stuff like that.”
The Lakers were the only other team able to offer Anthony a full maximum level contract. Per the rules of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, the Lakers offer could only be for four years and $95 million, which is one year and $29 million less than the Knicks signed Anthony to.
Another team that came close to gain the star was Chicago. According to ESPN.com:
“The Bulls put on a full-court press for the Knicks star. Despite the fact that he would have had to take considerably less money to sign with Chicago, Anthony thought long and hard about the Bulls — likely his best situation to contend for a title this season — before re-signing with the Knicks.
Anthony said he suspected the NBA schedule makers would have the Knicks face the Bulls once he made his decision.
“Well, I knew that was going to happen,” Carmelo Anthony said. “I kind of knew they were going to throw that game on the schedule first. So I was kind of prepared for that mentally and just being excited for that moment, just knowing that the offseason that I had, the whirlwind and the touring, it was a lot.
“To know that Chicago was one of the teams that I was highly considering at that point in time, and to open up against them on our home court, that is where it starts at.”
Ultimately Anthony chose New York, but that didn’t stop him from reaching out to Kobe, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in regards to playing the triangle offense.
“If I know Kobe the way I think I know him,” Carmelo Anthony said, “he is more of a person that will let me go out there and see how it works out and then throughout the season I am pretty sure he will be reaching out and say, ‘OK, I see this, or I see that.’ I am just trying to deal with him and get my own experience in it and if I need advice from other people and really talk to somebody, I have the right people in my phone to talk to.”
New Knicks coach Derek Fisher, who played with Bryant from 1996-2004 and 2007-2012, was quoted saying any player who had a problem playing with Bryant “is thinking about the wrong things.”
“Some guys can feel like he’s not easy to work with or play with,” Fisher told ESPN. “But to me, that means you’re thinking about the wrong thing if that’s what you’re focused on. He’s driving himself towards the ultimate prize of being a successful and maximizing his full potential. If that’s the journey that you’re on as well, you have no problems.
“He’s smart enough to realize that all people are not created that way and sometimes it doesn’t make for the team being as successful as it can be. He and I have always been cool because we saw it the same way. We have different personalities, different leadership styles, but that’s what made us a great combination.”
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