The New York Knicks are a struggling franchise, and their best player, Carmelo Anthony, has made it very clear he has no expectations for them.
The New York Knicks may have improved this offseason with the addition of players such Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo and drafting a rookie with great potential in the form of Kristaps Porzingis. However, despite the possibility that they can at least begin improving in the upcoming season, All-Star Carmelo Anthony has made it incredibly clear that he still has no expectations for his Knicks.
For a player who insists on shooting at least 20 times every night, it’s safe to say that Carmelo Anthony rates his own abilities pretty highly. He’s renowned across the basketball world for being a gunslinger, which is an apt description for a player who went off with 62 points against Charlotte in 2014, yet still failed to record even one assist despite having the ball in his hands for nearly the entire game.
Self belief aside, it’s clear that Melo isn’t excited about what his Knicks have to offer for the upcoming season, as has been reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post:
Carmelo couldn't have been less bold on his predictions for this team. "To be quite honest, I don’t have any expectations at this time.''
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) September 28, 2015
As Marc Berman pointed out, it was a very bold statement for the man who is expected to carry the Knicks as far as it’s possible for them to go this season. It’s still highly unlikely his All-Star and scoring title ability will take them near the playoffs, but that kind of response from Carmelo Anthony can’t exactly fill Knicks fans with a sense of excitement or expectancy for the upcoming season.
He didn’t beat around the bush, though. At least Melo was honest about having no expectations, which may be best for a Knicks team who need to regroup and see how Porzingis — who has the potential to be an elite scorer and versatile big man — develops through his rookie year.
After all, the Knicks have fallen from recording 54 wins in 2012-13 to a catastrophic 17 wins last season. So, with that in mind, you may hate Melo’s bleak outlook, but at least you can’t fault his honesty.
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