Carmelo Anthony was given a rousing ovation when he was shown at Madison Square Garden taking in the Knicks and Heat, and was presented as a “Knicks legend.”
Sal Licata didn’t care for that label very much, and has a big problem with Anthony being put in the same category as franchise immortals like Patrick Ewing.
“It drives me nuts,” Sal said. “I know saying that makes it sound like I’m destroying Carmelo for no reason. No, it offends me as a 90s Knicks fan. And it’s not just Carmelo Anthony. Back then, it was ‘Look at Tyson Chandler.’ They’re comparing Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony to the 90s Knicks. What, because they won one playoff series?
“Carmelo takes bows for a 54-win season and winning a playoff round. Patrick Ewing did that in his sleep…that was automatic. It was about how much further the Knicks were gonna go beyond the first round.”
Anthony, one of the few stars that welcomed the challenge of playing in New York, put together some of the best individual statistics in franchise history, but the team itself made just three postseason appearances, winning one series. With that in mind, Sal doesn’t understand why Anthony gets such a hero’s welcome.
“It was insulting to me,” Sal said. “Carmelo was fine, but he was no better than Stephon Marbury as a Knick.”
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