New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony just may have the team's medical staff taking a cut of his own non-"ridiculous" contract. Whether he gives up this portion of his salary as a karmic justification for his lack of defensive effort remains to be determined.
I say this because it just so happens that timely injuries pop up at the most opportune times...injuries that are of great benefit for the 28-year-old.
Take for instance, I don't know, the sudden left knee meniscus tear suffered by former New York luminary Jeremy Lin that just so happened to come to light (a day after playoff tickets sold out) as the New York media and fan base were on the verge of pulling out their pitchforks and torches and marching on Carmelo's Hell's Kitchen duplex.
At the time, Melo had been loafing through games, not taking part in team timeout huddles, and looking even more disinterested on defense--an extraordinary accomplishment that will be the featured exhibit at Ripley's Believe It Or Not Times Square next month. The team had enjoyed an epic 7-1 streak with Lin at the helm and Madison Square Garden had been rocking with MVP chants for the 6-4 Taiwanese American guard. When Melo returned, the team struggled to re-integrate him and limped to an 8-9 record, including a six game losing streak. And then....
Poof.
Lin was shut down for the season with a knee injury, Melo started trying, went on to average nearly 30 points a game and shoot over 50 percent, and the Knicks surged into the playoffs on a 12-5 run. Suddenly Anthony was the hero again. Well, until the Heat steamrolled the Knicks over the first three games and people started talking about Lin coming back early.
But even that turned in favor of Melo, when the doctors told Lin he was 80 percent, despite the fact he still felt pain in his knee. The media dove all over an interview with Lin in which he said he was 80 percent but wouldn't be playing.
Melo played the good teammate by endorsing Lin sitting, but whispers abounded that Lin was soft and wasn't a team player. Many New York fans started to question Lin's commitment. The seed of doubt was expertly planted.
Melo responded to the calls for Lin's return by scoring 41 points to stave off a sweep, giving New York its first playoff victory in 11 years. The Knicks ended up losing the next game, but Melo had "shown" that he could win playing his style of ball.
Today, Lin is 1,600 miles away in Houston...
A few days ago, it was revealed that the other obstacle in Anthony's way, Knicks starting power forward Amare Stoudemire, suddenly developed a ruptured benign cyst on his knee (yes the left one!). Curiouser and curiouser considering that conventional thought is of the belief that Anthony, after his superb Olympic showing and with how the NBA is evolving, is best suited to play the power forward position.
Stoudemire came into camp in terrific shape. He and Anthony spent a couple weeks this summer learning post moves from Hakeem Olajuwon. And, in his only preseason appearance, STAT scored 18 points, grabbed 5 boards and shot 73 percent from the floor.
Melo's had been shooting 41 percent during the preseason...
And boom, now Amare is set to miss the rest of preseason as well as at least three weeks of the regular season. On Monday night, Melo got a shot (well, 23 official shots anyway) to ply his trade as the Knicks starting power forward.
Curiouser and Curiouser indeed.
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BasketBias is a purely satirical attempt to cover basketball in the spirit of Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal. BasketBias is written as entertainment for the casual reader...truth for conspiracy theorists.
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