NBA Offseason: SCIC Roundtable – Part 3
Apr 6, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) walks back to the bench during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Miami won 102-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Is Carmelo Anthony Now Considered Overpaid?
| Season | Tm | MP | FG% | 3P% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 | DEN | 36.5 | .426 | .322 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 21.0 |
| 2004-05 | DEN | 34.8 | .431 | .266 | 5.7 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 20.8 |
| 2005-06 | DEN | 36.8 | .481 | .243 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 26.5 |
| 2006-07 ★ | DEN | 38.2 | .476 | .268 | 6.0 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 28.9 |
| 2007-08 ★ | DEN | 36.4 | .492 | .354 | 7.4 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 25.7 |
| 2008-09 | DEN | 34.5 | .443 | .371 | 6.8 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 22.8 |
| 2009-10 ★ | DEN | 38.2 | .458 | .316 | 6.6 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 28.2 |
| 2010-11 ★ | TOT | 35.7 | .455 | .378 | 7.3 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 25.6 |
| 2010-11 ★ | DEN | 35.5 | .452 | .333 | 7.6 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 25.2 |
| 2010-11 ★ | NYK | 36.2 | .461 | .424 | 6.7 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 26.3 |
| 2011-12 ★ | NYK | 34.1 | .430 | .335 | 6.3 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 22.6 |
| 2012-13 ★ | NYK | 37.0 | .449 | .379 | 6.9 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 28.7 |
| 2013-14 ★ | NYK | 38.7 | .452 | .402 | 8.1 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 27.4 |
| Career | 36.5 | .455 | .345 | 6.5 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 25.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/16/2014.
Michael Saenz: I’ve always been on the “a player is worth whatever a team is willing to pay him” side of this argument. Although, if you asked if I would pay Carmelo Anthony, a decorated and above-average and talented scorer, the type of money that the Knicks are throwing him in New York, that answer would be no. I think the obvious test here is if other team’s offered max contracts other than the dubious Knicks. Of course other teams were willing to offer him max money.
Because of that, I don’t think Melo is overpaid. I’m probably in that minority, though.
John Armstrong: Absolutely not. Defense wins championships, but the name of the game is still scoring and only a couple of players, if any, can claim to be a better scorer than Carmelo Anthony. Defense and other intangibles can be built around scoring. His scoring is invaluable. Anthony is not my first choice to build a team around but let’s not fool ourselves into believing he’s not a top-tier talent.
Morten Jensen: In a word, yes. In more than a word, oh my goodness gracious will that contract look like roadkill three years from now. Look, I get it. We all get it. That perverse amount of money would be hard for anyone to turn down, but Melo better strap himself in for his inevitable inclusion on every list of overpaid athletes, just a few years from now.
George Middleton: Carmelo Anthony’s five year, $124 million deal was certainly questioned. Anthony certainly deserves to make about $20 million per year, but the deal is basically paying him $25 million a year and they are realistically going nowhere. I think the Knicks overpaid for Anthony, they could have gotten two good players like Greg Monroe and Bledsoe for a little more than that combined.
Bryce Olin: No way. Realistically, Anthony is worth more to the Knicks than what they’re paying him now. He sells jerseys, fills the seats, and keeps the Knicks in the news. Without him, they’d be terrible. Carmelo is a victim of the star narrative. The team has a bad season, and he gets all the blame, even though he had one of the more productive seasons of his career.
His new contract is huge, but he’s worth it. Now, Amar’e’s contract…
David Ramil: Wasn’t he always? Historically, players like Anthony have always been hard to build a team around. His greatest ability is to score, with ease, from virtually anywhere on the floor. It’s also his biggest flaw, leading to a lot of iso-heavy basketball that, by nature, excludes his teammates. His contract has the same impact, taking up so much cap space that it becomes increasingly harder to build a team that can actually contend. ‘Melo has been, at best, a complementary star in this league. There’s no shame in that, as he’s still a vital part of a team. But being paid like a player that has on impact on both sides of the court and then not living up to that standard why he has, and will continue to be, one of the most overpaid players in the NBA.
Brandon Osborne: No. Carmelo is one of the best players in the NBA and he deserves to be paid like it. Anthony may make more money than many players who are better than him, but that doesn’t mean he should be paid less. If a team wants to give him a big contract then it’s on that team and not the player.