Carmelo Anthony hasn’t come close to winning an NBA championship in a long while but is good friends with some star players who have completed the journey.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, fellow members of Anthony’s NBA draft class in 2003 and friends of his, have all won titles. The closest Anthony ever got was with the Denver Nuggets in 2008-09 when that team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
He admitted Thursday that it hasn’t been easy watching them win titles from the comfort of his own couch after failing to do what it takes to get his own team out of mediocrity, via Steve Popper of the Record:
Carmelo on losing while friends win: I don't think envy is kind of the right word. I do like at my peers and say damn what am I doing wrong.
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) March 4, 2016
Melo: I should be there. there was 1 point in time where they were looking at me as that,10 11 years straight. Now it's a rough patch for me
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) March 4, 2016
Since going 54-28 three seasons ago, it’s been nothing but rough waters for Anthony and the New York Knicks.
With just two wins in their last 13, the Knicks are in deep trouble. With an overall record of 25-37 and the No. 13 seed in the east, it’s a veritable certainty this team is going to miss the playoffs.
All the while, Anthony hears the drumbeat coursing through the media, as it has for years now, that no team will ever win a championship as long as he’s the guy leading the charge.
Perhaps it’s not a bad thing for the star small forward to wonder what he’s doing wrong. He’s long been accused of failing to see the big picture when it comes to his role on a team, earning the “selfish” label for hardly ever seeming to look for his teammates.
That said, he does lead the Knicks with 4.2 assists per game, and anyone paying attention knows he has been working hard to get his teammates involved.
Hopefully his self-reflection will help Anthony continue to reach deep down and find what he’s been missing. Though still in his early-30s, he won’t stay young forever, and championship windows don’t stay open very long.