Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim Doesn’t Think Carmelo Anthony will Win NBA Championship
New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony received a good amount of criticism (and support) when he said he would be happy walking away from the game of basketball with three Olympic gold medals and no NBA Championship rings.
Of course, Anthony insisted that he is still determined and believes he will win before he calls it quits, but not everyone is so sure.
“He’s unlikely to win an NBA title,” said Carmelo’s college head coach at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim. “He’s never been on a team that even had a remote chance of winning an NBA title. As a player, all you can do is try to make your team better and every team he’s been on he’s made them a lot better. Denver hadn’t done anything prior to him getting there, and he took them into the playoffs. They weren’t going to beat the [Los Angeles] Lakers or the [San Antonio] Spurs. In those years, they won the championship most of the time.”
Anthony and Boeheim won the NCAA Championship back in 2003, so if anyone knows what Melo is capable of, it’s Jim. Of course, Boeheim wasn’t a huge fan of Melo’s move to New York in 2014 either. He felt that the Chicago Bulls gave him the best chance to win a championship.
So maybe the Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah additions will help? Not so fast.
“He wants to win in New York,” continued Boeheim. “I know the general opinion is if Noah and Rose are healthy then they’ll be a better team. It’s just a question of if they will be healthy. They’ve been off and on the last two years. They’ve both been hurt. I think if both those guys are healthy, it certainly would make a big difference and Porzingis continuing to progress. If those things happen, they can be better.”
Boeheim doesn’t deny, however, that the Knicks have a lot of upward potential. Between Melo, Rose, Noah, and Kristaps Porzingis, New York is in the best position it has been in years.
But don’t hold your breath.