Numbers. They matter.
Thirteen.
That is the number of full seasons that Carmelo has been in the League. Anthony, a highly heralded college prospect, was drafted third in the top-heavy 2003 NBA draft that included a high school phenom named LeBron James (1), and college stars Chris Bosh (4) and Dwyane Wade (5). The trio (LeBron, Wade, Bosh) would go on to form the modern day Big Three in Miami and romp home to two championships (2012, 2013) in four seasons. The Draft is also historic for the Detroit Pistons infamously picking Darko Milicic second.
Twelve.
Carmelo is arguably one of the purest scorers the NBA has ever seen. Offensively, he is probably the most unguardable player in the NBA today. A matchup nightmare, he is armed with a once-in-a-generation scoring finesse, both around and away from the basket. His shooting averages have not dropped below the 43% he shot in his second season in the NBA. That’s 12 seasons of supremely efficient shooting from the field. He has shot better than 30% for all but three seasons (including 32% this season), and shot over 35% for six of those seasons (matching LeBron James in the bargain).
Eleven.
On January 25, 2014, Anthony exploded for 62 points at the Madison Square Garden. The unsuspecting Charlotte Hornets looked utterly helpless as Anthony drained basket after basket enroute his career high. Only eleven players have scored more points in a single NBA game. That list? David Robinson, David Thompson, Elgin Baylor, George Gervin, Jerry West, Joe Fulks, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Pete Maravich, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain. The only player on that list, not in the Hall Of Fame yet? Kobe. 2021 isn’t far away.
Ten.
Upon his arrival in Denver, the Nuggets became a perennial playoff lock, their best outing coming in 2008-09 where they reached the Conference Finals, losing 4-2 to eventual NBA Champion Kobe Bryant and his the Los Angeles Lakers. Just like he did with the Nuggets, Anthony was supposed to deliver the Knicks to the promised land as well. He hasn’t been as successful, with the deepest playoff run (since the 1999-’00 season) coming in 2012-13, where the Knicks lost to 4-2 to Paul George and the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Semifinals. The good news? Carmelo has missed the postseason just three times this far in his career. The bad news? Carmelo has missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons since 2013.
Nine.
The number of NBA All-Star Games that Anthony has appeared in till last season. The 2017 NBA All-Star Game was his tenth appearance where he replaced the injured Kevin Love. Many thought this was a knock on Beal, who is having his healthiest season thus far and has the Wizards sitting pretty with the third seed in the Eastern Conference. In reality Beal was just a victim of the voting system.
Eight.
Up until this season, Anthony has had only eight teammates score more than 15 ppg in the respective season. Kenyon Martin (‘05), Allen Iverson (‘07, ‘08, ‘09), Chauncey Billups (‘09, ‘10, ‘11), J. R. Smith (‘09, ‘10, ‘13), Amar’e Stoudemire (‘11, ‘12), Raymond Felton (‘11), Wilson Chandler (‘11), Danilo Galinari (‘11). No matter how you choose to look at the stat, that is not even remotely close the help even a star like Anthony needs to win a title in the modern day NBA.
Seven.
Carmelo has averaged over 25 PPG . Considered by many to be one of the purest scoring machines the NBA has ever seen, Anthony’s scoring average has never dipped below 20 PPG in a single season. His highest average came in his fourth season with Denver when he averaged 28.9 PPG while shooting.
Six.
Surprisingly, Anthony has made it to just six All-NBA teams. He made the All- NBA 2nd Team in ‘10 and ‘13, and the All-NBA 3rd team in ‘05, ‘06, ‘09 and ‘12. Even more surprisingly, Anthony has never made an All NBA 1st team.
Five.
Anthony thrives when he has someone who can not only bring the ball up, but also direct the offense so get him the spots and matchups that make him most dangerous. On that front, Anthony has been fairly unlucky, and had hardly any consistency. He has played with just five point guards that were among the NBA’s top 10 in the respective season. Andre Miller (‘06, ‘07), Allen Iverson (‘08, ‘09) and Raymond Felton (‘11). You could throw in Jeremy Lin (‘12) in the mix, but that would be inaccurate since Lin’s 2012 was an anomaly, as evidenced by his inability to recreate the Linsanity magic. Derrick Rose, who was to be the answer to all of Anthony’s career PG woes, is a shadow of his former self. The 2011 Regular Season MVP showed signs of promise to start the season, but has plateaued, averaging a mediocre 17.7 PPG and 4.5 PPG.
Four.
Only four on Anthony’s teammates have made an All-Star Game in the respective season. Allen Iverson (‘07, ‘08), Chanucey Billups (‘09, ‘10), Amar’e Stoudemire (‘11) and Tyson Chandler (‘13).
Three.
Carmelo, a 3-time Olympic gold medalist, is the most decorated and prolific basketball player in international basketball history. It is no secret that he plays on a whole other level when donning the US colors at the Olympics. It really doesn’t matter who else is on the roster; Anthony de-facto leader at the quadrennial event, and everything (both offensively and defensively) runs through him. Considering the greats that have come and gone before, it is hard to believe that no other basketball player has more Olympic gold medals than Anthony.
Two.
The total number All-NBA teammates that Anthony has ever played a full season with. Billups in ‘09 (All-NBA 3rd Team) and Tyson Chandler in ‘12 (All NBA 3rd Team). Amar’e Stoudemire who made the All-NBA 2nd Team in ‘11 does not count since Anthony had played just half a season with him.
One.
Among the most astonishing facts of Anthony is that, as prolific a scorer as he is, he has led the NBA in scoring just once. Averaging 28.7 PPG in 2012-13, Anthony led the league in one of the poorest scoring seasons in recent history.
Zero.
The number of NBA Championships Carmelo Anthony has won till date.
Numbers matter. They are simple and clear indicators of where a player stands in the pyramid of greatness. It allows us to stack up a player against his contemporaries, against the greats that have gone before, and the legends yet to suit up for the NBA. Numbers are the water required to cement a player’s legacy when he decides to hang up his sneakers.
Anthony’s numbers are inconclusive. Always arguable. He has arguably been among the top-15 if not top-10 players in the league, but has never made an All-NBA 1st team. He is arguably the greatest scorer of his generation, but has never averaged 30 ppg in a season and led the league in scoring just once. He is arguably the best small forward of his generation, but has not been to the NBA Finals, let alone win a NBA championship.
Anyone who watches any single isolated part of Anthony’s career would think he is a lock for one the 100 greatest players ever. Certain seasons an argument for placing him in the Top-50 ever is valid too. Granted he hasn’t had the best of teams (as evidenced in the numbers above), and to his credit has taken an astonishingly mediocre team to the cusp of an NBA Finals. However, Anthony’s career as a whole has fallen significantly short of his ceiling. This isn’t just about an NBA Championship. It is about the legacy that Anthony leaves in the minds of NBA fans. What would we think of when we read his name once he retires? How will we remember Anthony.
Will we remember his gross failing at not having won an NBA title? Or will we remember him as the greatest scoring forwards the NBA has ever seen?
Only time will tell.
BEST OF THE WEEK
Performance Of The Week: Andrew Wiggins 41 points vs. Cleveland Cavaliers.
Wiggins is slowly beginning to understand his body and his abilities. One night after pouring 41 points in a narrow loss against the reigning NBA Champions, Wiggins shook off the dust and kicked up another storm and torched Denver for 40 point on 15 of 26 shooting from the field, to go along with two steals and just one turnover. That he always brings his best against the Cavaliers is no secret. Don’t rule out the possibility of him wanting to send a message to Cleveland on how wrong it was to trade him.
Game Of The Week: Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics (104-103)
This game ended with the more controversial calls in regular season history. No matter the discussion on the decision, this game was closer than it should’ve been. If the Playoffs began today, this would be a first round matchup. While the Bulls narrowly edged away in this game, I don’t see the result being the same in a seven games series. Boston is still clearly the more superior team, both in terms of talent and their coach’s ability. Chicago could pull a game in which Jimmy Butler potentially goes off for 50, but at full strength, the Bulls will have their hands full trying to win four of seven games against the Celtics.
Player Of The Week: Andrew Wiggins, 36.0 PPG / 55.4 FG%, 1.7 SPG, 47.4 3PT%
There are flashes of it every single game, but this is the most consistent week he has had this year. His ability to score around the rim is a given, but it is his 3-point shot that has gotten incredibly sharp, with him shooting the ball at a blistering 47% from 3-pt land this week. He is quickly maturing into a reliable offensive threat on a nightly basis. Once his defense (not too shabby at all) catches up, he is going to be the double edged sword we all waiting for him to turn into.
Team Of The Week: Bucks (3-0)
Clippers and Cavaliers had perfect records too. The Bucks, however, are coping with the reality of not having Jabari Parker, their second best player, for the remainder of the season. Considering the success the Bucks were having this season, one cannot underestimate the emotional impact of having lost Parker has on the Bucks organization. They are still in contention for a spot in the playoffs and are just one game behind eighth seed Detroit Pistons and 2 games behind seventh seed Chicago Bulls. Their 2016-17 season, however, will only be judged by their performance in the playoffs.