Shots are finite. Glory is infinite!
Yes, Adrian Wojnarowski has mentioned the Warriors as a potential suitor to Melo, and no, it probably won’t happen. But why would anyone want it to?
Arbiters of sports opinion have treated the Nuggets as though they are Anthony’s extension–the vehicle for his fame and legend.This whole sports industry is built on vicarious living, after all. In the moment you watch a game, you are transported from a dreary existence to another team’s ephemeral glories. But in our individualistic, celebrity-driven, modern way, it’s not enough to glom onto a collectivist triumph. One man should not just hog the credit, but in fact be the credit. So we can be that guy.
Back in 2005 Kobe Bryant was a thrill to watch in a way he just isn’t now. He owned explosiveness to pair with 35 foot fadeaway jumpers, he’d take shots that just didn’t fit in the context of professionalism. And when Kobe started rattling off fifty-point rain dances, observers couldn’t help but emotionally invest in a) his stats and b) the difficulty with which he’d get them.
Around that time, my uncle was kind enough to distribute some Warriors vs. Lakers tickets at Staples. It was a shock to my basketball system: A porn convention concurrently unfolded outside, the arena looked decorated not with just banners, but adorned with people who served as the event’s jabbering, silicon-pumped glitter. A curtain descended from the rafters as a crescendo blasted. Projected dinosaur-sized images of Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson shimmered across the veil. We have nothing like this at Oracle.
From first tip to final shot, the crowd was frothing. They had no beef with Monta Eliis, who was carving that night. No, they hated Walton. And Odom. And anyone who would deign take a shot from the Hero.
“Pass it to KOBE!”
Every Bryant score sent a pleasure murmur through the crowd as eyes glazed and grown men squealed. Whenever another player shot–even if he converted–the throng reacted as though a pitcher had intentionally walked Hammerin’ Hank on 714.
“He has 35 now! (Unprintable) Odom, KOBE could get 50. Get him the rock!”
The borg-like entity had funneled their love, had become wholly obsessed with one man’s quest for a very specific kind of greatness. And today, the Lakers sell shirts that brag about Kobe’s “Five Rings,” as though those championships don’t matter as much as the fact Kobe got them.
So what does this have to do with Carmelo Anthony? Well, we obsess over him for many of the same reasons we focus on Bryant. When Melo’s draining shots in the playoffs, the casual fan gets swept up in the drama (How many shots in a row can he hit? Will he score the game winner?). The other facets of the game fade into periphery, blur as we look for the next Anthony bucket. And those memories of off-balance jumpers linger longer than anything from a Denver playoff exit.
Nene and the Birdman, those guys hoop in a parallel universe that the fan is barely aware of. Their toil is meaningful in real basketball terms, but it is largely ignored by the culture that was molded to fetishize MJ. As NBA fans, we see ourselves in the perimeter scorer, not the rebounding big.
Anthony’s Wins Produced number is a paltry 5.93, his plus-minus is a shrug-worthy 3.5. Advanced stats aside, this makes sense to me. Simplistically put, Carmelo doesn’t do much, other than score. When he’s not shooting, another guy is taking, and sometimes converting with greater efficiency. Melo’s greatest skill is the ability to take many, many, shots without causing George Karl yank to him.
So no, I don’t want to trade a Stephen Curry package for Carmelo Anthony. Melo would make an impact wispy as his stache, for piles of cash stashed higher than stars. The only reason I wrote this was to show how CarmeLove stems from the disease that plagued the Warriors into death-bed hacking. Average efficiency scoring at the expense of defense? Lavishing PR attention on ballhogs? Any of this sound familiar? The Warriors shouldn’t acquire Anthony, they should acquire a taste for winning basketball–and that means looking for players, not avatars.
Email: [email protected] Twitter: SherwoodStrauss
Damn, @Kenny Seagle, Emperor of the North
You really got me. Came up short when I tried for style. My QUESTIONS would be: What’s your style on snarky comment-leaving?
well that wuz kinda windbaggy article
tryin 4 style, comin up short
capisci????
ANY QUESTIONS???????
This article was worthless. I agree with everyone who said that no one has mentioned Curry in a trade. And why would the Warriors/their fans even consider that? Curry is the future of our franchise and one player; i.e. Melo wouldn’t increase our chances of getting better without a legit point guard. Remember the troubles Carmelo had until Billups came? I do! Curry stays, out with Ellis, Biedrins and cash…..hello Melo… You will love getting the ball dished to properly on the go and in the post by Curry and you will love the fans in the Bay!!! Go Warriors!
No one has mentioned Curry in a deal for Carmelo? Are you kidding. Flemming did it just today. It’s a given fact that Denver doesn’t want veterans with big contracts; they already have too many of those. That’s why today’s big story is Pick #3 Favors being offered to Denver for Anthony and them wanting Lopez as well.
The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly have offered their high lottery pick Gordon who is playing before Curry on Team USA and Denver is trying for last year’s number one picked guy.
If the Warriors have ANY chance at Carmelo, and I think they are considered one of the teams that do, obviously any offer would have to be built around Curry and maybe even Udoh and D. Wright. But not Nine to Eleven million dollar contracted guys like Ellis and Biedrins as good as anyone thinks they are. That kind of additional contract liability isn’t what Denver is looking for.
I LOVE Curry, but I think it’s a heckofa stretch to compare him to Carmelo. A “chance” down the road to be nearly as good but that’s it. Carmelo Anthony is a scoring machine and was a tough clutch shooter in Denver’s huge 2009 playoff run.
Curry for Melo would be a complete mistake.
Denver is looking to get younger. While we’re still looking for a solid 3.
Best case scenerio. Golden State packages Ellis, Radman, & B Wright with cash from the Morrow & Watson trade.. for Melo & JR Smith.
Starting 5 would look like:
1 – Steph Curry
2 – JR Smith
3 – Melo Anthony
4 – David Lee
5 – AB
Coming off the bench:
1 – Jeremy Lin
2 – Charlie Bell
3 – Reggie Williams
4 – Ekpe
5 – Gadz
Our starting 5 would have youth and playoff experienced veterans. & our bench would be the D-League All Stars we all in the bay have grown to love.
Denver would get a prolific scorer in Ellis to give them short term answer. Radman is an expiring contract. & Wright has had his minutes of glory & still getting better. No idea what he could do with a full season of being healthy.
Win Win in my book.
You’re making a straw man argument. Nobody that I know of has ever suggested trading Curry for Anthony. I have seen suggestions that the Warriors offer Monta Ellis packaged with the expiring contract of Vladimir Radmanovic for Anthony. If, as reported, Melo wants out of Denver, that might be the best package the Nuggets are likely to get. More than anyone,
Warriors fans know that once a player has demanded a trade, you never get full value in return. Under the circumstnaces, Ellis for Anthony would be an incredible deal for Denver
@warrior Elaborate, please
this article was a waste of life
Man, you likened him to Kobe — you really don’t like Carmelo Anthony at all! Just kidding (sort of).
Great post. You hit on the two things that make this idea of Melo getting traded to the Warriors so ridiculous:
1. The Nuggets will demand Curry.
2. Anthony’s current teammates are vastly better than whatever he’d be left with in Golden State.
Although if the trade actually happened and Nellie stayed on as coach, Carm would probably beat out Durant for the scoring title. So the Warriors would have that going for them, which is nice.