Carmelo Anthony is supposed to be the focal point of the New York Knicks. The franchise is counting on his star power to be the main recruiting tool for free agents this offseason as the Knicks have money to burn. However, is Anthony's star power as big as the Knicks assume it is? The star is coming off an injury-riddled 2014-15 season that was cut short and now certain NBA players are coming out speaking against Anthony's ability to bring in talent.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Jared Dudley is making the media rounds and stirring up some controversy in the process. While talking on ESPN Radio's The Herd,Dudley first said that no player wants to play with Kobe Bryant due to his selfish style and now he is speaking out against Anthony and calling him overrated.
"The reason I say Carmelo is because Carmelo is viewed as a top-five player, he's viewed in the NBA as a top-five," Dudley said, via ESPN's Colin Cowherd . "Carmelo, he has the talent to be able to facilitate. The triangle should fit him to where he's got to make guys better, and defensively he's got to take it to the next level up. Carmelo, you gotta get out, you gotta out the first, second round. You gotta get your team to the playoffs. LeBron (James) with that (Knicks') roster ... he would have got them to the playoffs, he would have got them to at least the eighth seed. He's not LeBron, he doesn't have to be."
Anthony might not rank in the top five of the NBA, but there is no doubting his talent and scoring abilities. The Knicks are hoping to build around his shot by adding better defenders and an elite point guard into the mix. Whether or not Dudley's opinion is felt around the league is really unknown, but the Knicks are certainly hoping that other players do not feel the same way.
According to the New York Post, the Knicks have a free agency wish list that reads like the NBA All-Star starting lineup. Marc Gasol, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan and LaMarcus Aldridge are just a few of the names that team president Phil Jackson will look at. While Anthony is not headed anywhere, trade deals with players like Jose Calderon and Tim Hardaway Jr are expected. Jackson made a note to say that Anthony would have input to the free agents the Knicks target. If other players view the star as overrated, that might not go so well.
