Carmelo Anthony to face two free agent suitors he turned down
Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony reacts after sinking a three-point shot against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half of a game at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
HOUSTON -- Carmelo Anthony is on a reunion tour in Texas, but he said he's not looking back and has no regrets.
The Knicks open up a three-game road trip Monday night against the Rockets and then go to Dallas to play Tyson Chandler and the Mavericks Wednesday.
They were two of the teams vying for Anthony's services during free agency in July, and two teams now faring much better than the Knicks in a far better conference. But Anthony took the near-max deal from the Knicks -- $124 million over five years -- and said he moved forward from that moment.
"Of course I know that they're playing very well," Anthony said at shootaround Monday morning. "It's not something that I kind of say to myself that I regret doing this or regret doing that."
The Rockets, who will be without All-Star center Dwight Howard and starting point guard Patrick Beverly on Monday night, are 10-3. The Mavericks are 10-4. The Knicks are the exact opposite at 4-10, but Anthony said he doesn't allow himself to play the what-if game.
"No, I can't do that," Anthony said. "I can't do that. I can't do that. That's just not my nature as a person. I would never be able to sit down and ask myself 'what if?'"
Anthony bought into team president Phil Jackson's vision of how to build a sustainable winner. But the Knicks are off to a rough start, as expected.
This was going to be a transition year regardless, especially with at least nine Knicks in the last years of their contract. Jackson will try to build through free agency and trades.
But Anthony was pursued during the summer by three teams ready to win now. The Bulls were the other.
This was his first time at the Toyota Center since images of him in a Rockets jersey were displayed on the marquee outside the arena as hope filled the inside of the building.
The Rockets' contingent that met with Anthony included Dwight Howard, James Harden, coach Kevin McHale and Houston legend Clyde Drexler.
Anthony said he "took a deep, long look at" all that Houston had to offer, such as weather, and no state tax. He had conversations with Howard, but in the end wanted to remain with the Knicks.
"We had some great dialogue back and forth," Anthony said. "I talked to him. We talked about some things. Ultimately it came down to what I felt at that moment, what I really wanted.
"Me and Dwight had some contact and some conversation. He tried. He tried extremely hard. It didn't have anything to do with Dwight or James or anything like that. It came down to my own decision."
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
