2014 NBA Top 20: #4 Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony

When Boston Globe columnist Gary Washburn gave a single first-place MVP vote to Carmelo Anthony at the end of last season, he perhaps unwittingly ignited an unnecessary internet fire. Social media exploded, virtually all in support of eventual-MVP LeBron James and, in many cases, instead of celebrating LeBron’s fourth crown, venting in anger about why that one vote for ‘Melo denied LeBron from becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history.

From the perspective of the other 121 voters, Anthony’s MVP bid was pure blasphemy. From the minority of one, Anthony was the most valuable player in the NBA last season.

Considering his talents, his team, his strengths, and his weaknesses, expect the debate to only get feistier in the coming season.

Carmelo Anthony is not the best player in the NBA. He wasn’t the best player in the NBA last season, and – ranked at fourth-place by SportsKeeda – he won’t be the best player in the NBA for 2013-14, either. But there is just enough brilliance in the league’s reigning scoring champion to turn heads on any given night, to make even the staunchest critic a believer, and to convince more Gary Washburns that there is indeed, no more player more valuable to the success of his franchise than Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks.

On any given night, Anthony will outperform the best players in the league. There is no defender or defensive scheme that can stop him on those nights. And for the Knicks, who are a deep squad but without any other consistent options on the offensive end, Anthony will be the sole difference between a win and a loss on a regular basis for the upcoming season.

At 29, going into his 30th year, Anthony is likely at the peak of his powers; everything from this point on – at least as far his individual talents go – are not going to get any better than this. Out of all the active players in the NBA who enjoy a superstar status, it is only Anthony that has not enjoyed the highest individual accolade (like an MVP or Finals MVP award) or team success (like a championship, or even a Finals appearance) even after a whole decade in the league. That smile and easy-going style of play may not show it, but few players in the league face more pressure to deliver for themselves and for their team than Anthony. And representing New York – where he is greeted by some of the most hardcore NBA fans on a daily basis – the pressure to succeed is at its zenith.

There are major weaknesses in the game, sure. He can’t defend. He’s not a good-enough leader. He shoots too much. He doesn’t keep the ball moving in a free-flowing offense. And despite being a top four player, he isn’t even amongst the top two in the league of his own position. A couple of small forwards in Miami and Oklahoma City have those spots on lock.

But zoom out from the ultra-critical lens and you’ll notice how the positives far outweigh the negatives. For all that he isn’t, Carmelo Anthony’s biggest strength is that he knows exactly what he is. He is one of the most-gifted offensive players of all time, a wizard that has a limitless scoring toolkit. He is quick enough to drive by defenders to finish it at the basket, strong enough to dominate the post against most defenders, technically-gifted enough to use his footwork to create space for himself, hungry enough to pound the offensive glass and finish near the bucket, has a jump-shot so smooth that it makes anything less than a perfect swish seem like a missed shot, and is clutch enough to emerge as one of the top finishers in the game.

Now, as he enters the last year of his contract, looking forward to free agency for the first time in his career, Anthony is primed to follow the best season of his career with an even better one. The Eastern Conference has gotten much tougher, sure, and it is unlikely that he will carry the Knicks to the second-spot again. But individually, he’ll continue to be one of the most important players in the league, and will once again be the only reason that New York will even have an outside shot at any post-season success.

And last season’s MVP vote? You can be sure that it was the first of many. Whether or not he finally captures the award next summer, it is a near-guarantee that he will force his way into the conversations, into contention, and swing a few more votes his way.

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