Carmelo Anthony was an unrestricted free agent last summer, and briefly flirted with teams like the Chicago Bulls and the L.A. Lakers before ultimately deciding to stay with the Knicks.
Anthony didn't do this out of the goodness of his heart, of course. Thanks to the way the NBA's collective bargaining agreement is structured, the Knicks were the only team that could give him a fifth year on a new contract, which came with it an extra $25 million in guaranteed salary.
There was a price to pay, however, for choosing to cash out like this. Anthony re-upped with a Knicks team that was in dire straits from a talent perspective, and a few more seasons -- the tail end of Anthony's prime playing days -- are likely to pass before New York can even begin to hope to one day contend for a title.
Because of that fact, Anthony's college coach believes his former star player would have been better off signing with the Bulls.
From Ian Begley of ESPN.com:
"Everybody knew that [the Bulls offer a better situation]. Me saying that, everybody gets mad at me. But it's the truth," Boeheim said at Team USA minicamp in Las Vegas. "The New York Knicks owner should say that, if he was being truthful.
Anthony chose money and New York city over winning, and there isn't anything wrong with that. Besides, he can always waive his no-trade clause and ask to be dealt if at anytime he decides that pursuing a championship is what he wants to do, and if he does leave the Knicks, he'll do so with that extra year of guaranteed salary firmly in place.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
[via ESPN]
