Carmelo Anthony’s free agency tour had planned stops in Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles. The Knicks also believed they’d get the final meeting.
Well, he’s met with the Bulls, Rockets and Mavericks and is meeting with the Lakers today.
That leaves only the Knicks.
Chris Broussard of ESPN:
The Knicks will meet with Melo this afternoon in Los Angeles, after his meeting with the Lakers....
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 3, 2014
This sounds like a bit of a power play on Melo’s part, forcing the Knicks to fly across the country when he toured every other city.
But maybe Phil Jackson is already in Los Angeles. Remember, when the Knicks hired Jackson, a big topic was how much time he’d spend in New York rather than California.
The only drawback for Jackson and co. is they can no longer Photoshop Melo into a Knicks jersey on the Madison Square Garden marquee. I heard that was going to be their big pitch.
Really, Melo already knows what the Knicks offer. Because they had him under contract, he met with them before free agency began. I doubt much has changed since.
Melo originally planned to decide on a team by the second week of the month, but this could accelerate the plan.
Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal:
Hearing Carmelo will almost certainly have his decision made before the weekend is finished, according to a person familiar with the matter
— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) July 3, 2014
Soon, this process will end, and the NBA can stop waiting on Melo and LeBron James.
It can wait on only LeBron.