The Knicks’ Discrepancy of Loyalty and Talent

There are a few lovable figures in New York Knicks history. So, why isn’t Carmelo Anthony one of them?

This is a guest post written by Seamus Murrock — @seamusmurrock.

On the night of Kurt Rambis’ New York Knicks coaching debut, Langston Galloway took a wide-open, potential game-tying jumper that rimmed out, handing the team a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Washington Wizards.

As Galloway’s defeated body collapsed to the ground in disappointment, an intensely unique feeling swept over me as I closed the screen on my laptop.

Although he wasn’t able to steal a win for the Knicks in front of the Garden faithfuls, I was somehow more endeared by his play than I would have been had the last-ditch effort somehow found its way into the bottom of the net.

Something about the way he reacted to his shortcoming drew compassion from my frustration, and as I reflected more on the loss, the Knicks’ season, and the past few seasons in general, my compassion turned into confusion, and then frustration, and soon enough I was punching holes in the wall of my college dorm room (not really).

The question I soon arrived at later that night was this:

What is it about the New York Knicks, as a franchise, that commands the loyalty of such mediocre talent?

Unlike many players to don the blue and orange before him, Galloway plays with a passion and drive unlike any other. After playing for the perennial Atlantic-10 powerhouse St. Joseph’s Hawks in college and then moving onto the Westchester Knicks after going undrafted in 2014, he was called up last season on two 10-day contracts.

He then signed a robust two-year deal after several solid games, including a Steph Curry-like performance against the Atlanta Hawks, where he went 10-of-12 from the field and 6-of-6 from downtown.

In under a year, Galloway even gained a vocal supporter in Entourage cast member and devout Knicks fan Jerry Ferrara, who regularly applauds his effort on Twitter after big games.

Since becoming a regular in the Knicks’ rotation, Galloway has earned the respect of the Knicks organization — especially the fans — because of his work ethic and shooting. However, the fact remains that he is simply not the elite NBA point guard that the franchise needs to distribute the ball to the likes of Carmelo Anthony or Kristaps Porzingis.

It’s fair to point out that he’s seen much more adversity than many of his teammates, and as a result is prone to play with a resultant amount of passion. Unfortunately, no amount of hardship can equate the raw talent many elite PGs in the league possess.

While his loyalty to the organization that took a chance on him last year cannot be questioned, his level of talent can. As I pointed out earlier, the fact that this (or the opposite) can be said for so many players, past or present, is the underlying issue with the franchise itself.

Over the course of the past few seasons, we’ve seen some legitimate NBA talent pass through the Mecca. We’ve had Amar’e Stoudemire, a Rookie of the Year and six-time All-Star, and J.R. Smith, a man who literally shoots a higher three-point percentage with a body on him than not.

Yet during their time with the Knicks, the former’s most enduring legacy is Conor McGregor’ing (or Nate Diaz’ing) a fire extinguisher and consequentially missing a crucial playoff game. The latter, a Direct Message exchange with a high school girl on Twitter that ended with an Instagram post of a wall full of pipes, or something like that.

We’ve had Tyson Chandler, a former Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star and NBA champion, and Iman Shumpert, who, as goofy as he may be, was a solid contributor to the best team in the East last season. And again, the most loyalty to the Knicks we witnessed from either was a “#KnicksTape” Instagram video of Shump putting up midrange jumpers during the offseason before he was canned by the Zen Master.

Suffice to say J.R. Smith wasn’t collapsing to the floor in disappointment at every missed three, and no members of the cast of Entourage were reaching out to Stoudemire on Twitter after games to commend his work ethic (not even Lloyd). All of the aforementioned players put forth meager contributions to the team, and, aside from a borderline magical 2012–13 season, none will be remembered as Knicks when their respective careers come to a close.

The most egregious example of my argument, undoubtedly, is also the most polarizing figure we’ve seen in New York since Patrick Ewing — Carmelo Anthony. A perennial All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, the 6'8" forward epitomizes my Knicks’ talent-loyalty discrepancy theory.

Since he arrived here a little over five years ago, the All-Star forward has seen it all. Between Mike D’Antoni, the rise and fall of Linsanity, Mike Woodson, and the worst-season in franchise history last year (which Melo has described as “a blur” numerous times this season), many wonder why Anthony hasn’t liquidated his Manhattan office space and bolted town faster than Matt Barnes got to Los Angeles in July to throw hands with Anthony’s former head coach.

I, along with much of the Knicks’ fan base, appreciate his loyalty to our city and team, but Anthony just simply isn’t good enough to win on his own the way other superstars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant can.

The problem here is that Anthony has pledged his allegiance to a team that’s been stuck somewhere in between rebuilding and win-now mode for about 15 years. As I was explaining to a friend the other day, I almost feel guilty that he has wasted so much of his prime on a team that’s never been built to compete for the championship he so desperately wants.

“He was born in New York,” you say, or “He wants to win his own way.” Who cares? You don’t see Dwight Howard clamoring for a trade that will put the Atlanta Hawks, his hometown team, in the draft lottery doghouse, and I doubt that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant lose sleep over those who criticize the tandem for teaming up in Oklahoma City to rack up wins.

So, for Melo, why not join Derrick Rose in Chicago like many expected him to do in the past? Why not request a trade to the Lakers, a market just as big with much more young talent to help develop?

The answers are a mystery, but the examples are aplenty. Stephon Marbury was a career Knick, but was never talented enough to bring the title we’ve waited so long for back to the Garden. Even the stars of Hall-of-Fame center Patrick Ewing’s era, John Starks, Charles Oakley, Allan Houston and others, were not good enough to take the franchise to the Finals more than once. Many of them are immortalized by the franchise, with jerseys being floated up to the rafters, banners being hung, and the eternal respect of the city earned.

Don’t get me wrong: all of these players’ accolades are more than deserved, and as a fan I could never repay them for the excitement and joy of watching them in blue and orange. But Christ, if a city like Cleveland can command the loyalty of a talent like Lebron James, or Oklahoma City can hang onto not one, but two, superstars for much of the past decade…

What does the greatest city in the world have to do to earn the respect of a legitimate superstar?

It may be ownership. James Dolan, the Donald Trump of sports ownership, or media conglomerates, or whatever the hell he does, doesn’t make the best impression on potential free agent signings each summer. And it’s understandable that players aren’t dying to join a team whose owner accuses disgruntled fans of being alcoholics, and then encourages them to root for another team.

It may be the revolving door of coaches. From Isaiah Thomas to Mike D’Antoni to, God forbid, Kurt Rambis, we haven’t boasted the most impressive lineup of coaches over the years. As another year of free agency approaches, our head coaching situation is as unstable as ever following the release of Derek Fisher, who many thought was poised to lead the Knicks rebuilding under Phil Jackson.

Or it may be the brutal New York media. A challenge for all teams that call New York home, the modern-day Hemingways over at the New York Post and New York Daily News feed off of controversy and discontent. If I’m Lebron James, I’ll stay in Cleveland, where the media worships my every move before I let Frank Isola publicly criticize my perceived lack of leadership.

In spite of all this, however, the fans still believe in the franchise. As Kristaps Porzingis said after being chosen fourth overall last year, “If you can succeed in New York, you can succeed anywhere.” Because of this pressure, it takes a unique type of talent in the city, and many believe that Porzingis himself possesses these traits.

The fact that he still wants to play for the team after small children were literally posting videos of themselves crying when he was drafted in Brooklyn proves his loyalty to the organization, and if his rookie campaign is any indication, KP is well on his way to achieving levels of talent previously reserved for visiting players who used the Garden as a stage for their coming out parties (Lebron, KD, Steph, etc.).

For a team with such loyal fans like the Knicks, we deserve a player who reciprocates that loyalty back to the franchise. What players like Galloway, Marbury, and ‘Melo lack(ed) in talent, they made up for in loyalty. Conversely, what players like Stoudemire, Smith, and Shumpert lacked in loyalty, they made up for in talent.

So, what will happen when the Knicks land a player whose make-up is both? A player who finally counters my Knicks loyalty-talent discrepancy theory?

In Kristaps, a Rookie of the Year candidate who calls playing in New York “a dream come true,” we may finally have our long-awaited answer.