Carmelo Anthony can’t find his way onto an NBA roster, but the New York Knicks legend has a spot on NBA TV’s second-team all-decade.
It’s August so NBA fans are struggling to find ways to spend their time. A list of three all-decade teams seems like a decent place to begin a debate.
New York Knicks fans didn’t have much to cheer about over the last decade, but Carmelo Anthony was a lone bright spot amidst the chaos. Anthony was named to NBA TV’s second-team all-decade along with Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and Anthony Davis.
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Some critics may take exception with Anthony’s inclusion on this list. However, that can be attributed to recency bias.
For a majority of the decade, Melo was one of the premier scorers in the NBA. Did he have his flaws? Of course. But trying to downplay his offensive prowess would be folly.
He was the driving force in all three playoff appearances for the Knicks in the decade. Furthermore, he was a stud in the 2013 playoffs and led the Knicks to their only playoff series win of the decade.
He averaged 28.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in 12 playoff games that season. Not to mention, he was pretty much the only Knick to show up in a decisive Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers that season. He put up 39 points in a seven-point loss that the Knicks had no business winning.
He’s a future Hall of Famer, an all-time great Knick, and one of the best scorers of his generation. This selection is warranted, even though there are a few players on the third-team with compelling cases.
Dwyane Wade, Paul George, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all third-teamers who bring strong resumes to the table. But that shouldn’t diminish any of Melo’s accomplishments over the last decade.