NBA MVP 2014: Carmelo Anthony Surprise Contender? If Knicks Make Playoff And Upset Heat Or Pacers, Melo Has Solid Case For The Award!
The NBA 2014 MVP race has been dismissed as a two-man race. However, there are other players who deserve to be in the conversation. Carmelo Anthony is playing his best individual season. If his team responds, then he would be tough to ignore.
That's the price of being a star on a team sport. Even if you perform well individually, if the team does not respond, then the blame will still be placed on you. Such is the case of Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. He has been unfairly maligned for the woes of his team despite registering his 2nd best season scoring average and his best rebounding average.
Melo is 2nd in scoring in the NBA and he's averaging more than 8 rebounds per game. It's only on the win column that he doesn't deliver, and it's unfair to place it all on him.
New Knicks President Phil Jackson has acknowledged his star player. From ESPN, Phil Jackson shares:
"We've had a couple occasions to talk. We haven't really delved into the future as much as what's gone on, getting to know each other type of thing. Trying to see how he's feeling about playing. He's had to carry a big load. It's been a tough year for him. But it's been a tough year for everyone. It's not just isolated with him. But I think he feels the weight of it a lot more on himself."
Carmelo Anthony has lamented how he has done everything. In multiple occasions, he scored more than 40 points and they still lost the game.
Everything changed when Phil Jackson took over. Almost miraculously, the Knicks made a turnaround and are now at 8th place in the Eastern Conference, no longer a running joke in the league.
Despite Carmelo being consistent, the impression has now changed as the team has been winning. Now, the idea of New York becoming a playoff factor, even upsetting either the Heat or the Pacers is not really so funny.
Jackson continues his assessment: "Carmelo's really stepped into another level of trying to help players. I think that's one of the things that we see that Carmelo can do and that he's grown as he's gone along. Those are issues that are not only on the basketball court. They're off the basketball court, they're in practices, they're in the training room, in the locker room, where players learn to lead and push the team forward with their energy.
Finally, for the those who doubt Jackson's sincerity on Melo's stardom: "And I've been fortunate to have coached two of the great ones who have been able to do that in Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. But there have been other players, too. There's not just those players that do that. There are other players that have to be leaders on your team, and that's what we have to assess as we go forward."
The East has definitely gotten more interesting with the resurrection of the Big Apple teams. With the slump of Indiana, Pacers vs Heat in the Eastern Finals is suddenly not a safe bet.