NBA Free Agents 2014: Carmelo Anthony Gets Advice From College Coach 'Go Where You Can Win A Title'

Aside from Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony is the top NBA Free Agent of 2014. Melo is the complete scorer. He can post up, drive or hit the three. He is deceptively quick and strong. He adequately plays both forward positions.

This is something coach Jim Boeheim of Syracuse knows. Boeheim coached Carmelo Anthony in his one and only season in college-wherein they won the National Title. That's the type of player Melo is. He won multiple state and national titles with Oak Hill Academy (some of their wins were against Lebron James' school) and he took a college pit stop carrying a title afterwards. Melo is a winner at every level except for the pros.

Even with just a year together, Melo and Boeheim have developed a solid mentor-protégé relationship. Eleven years since, Boeheim is still concerned with probably the best player he's coached (and for Syracuse, that's saying a lot). Boeheim knows his basketball as Syracuse is currently no.1 in ranked in the NCAA, with a record of 24-0! He knows how to win, and how it feels. And also, how bad it is to fall short.

Falling short can be the phrase to describe Melo's NBA career. Now Melo is at the crossroads, and he's about to make the biggest decision of his pro career. What advice will his mentor give him?

From a CBS video interview: "What I'd tell him is what I would tell any NBA great player. If you're a great player in the NBA, for you to be recognized as a great player you have to win a championship. It's as simple as that. And I think you have to put yourself in the best position possible to win a championship. LeBron James did it. ... And it's changed the image of LeBron James forever.

I think you have to be in a place that you have a chance to win a championship. I think Carmelo loves New York, but I would tell him, 'Let's try to get some place where you can win this thing.' "

Boeheim is correct. We have seen how Michael Jordan, already acknowledged as the best player, cried when he clutched the trophy. Lebron has always been hounded for not winning it all, and was totally transformed when he took his first title. You can also count Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce's sighs of relief at avoiding the list of greatest players without a ring. They have set good examples for Melo.

If you read between the lines, Boeheim basically tells Melo that you need to sacrifice money, playing time and having solo rights to the spotlight to win a championship. Melo has all those things with the Knicks now, but he MUST win a championship.

Boeheim did not tell him to leave New York. Just be at a place to win a championship. They are basically the same message. Will Carmelo heed his coach's advice?