Andrew Polaniecki
During yesterday’s WWIB segment, we threw in—for the second time this year—a poll the Knicks should retire Carmelo Anthony’s #7.
A staggering 61% of the votes were against the Knicks retiring his number. It’s a sentiment that I share. When you look at the numbers that are retired, you see championships and/or lifetime greatness.
NBA All-Star Game 2015 Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
What makes this particularly interesting is that around this time last year, 51% of voters supported the idea of the Knicks retiring Carmelo Anthony’s number. At the time of the initial poll, Melo had not yet been named to the Hall of Fame. Since then, it has been announced that he will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this August.
So we would love to hear in more depth your opinion and what’s changed your minds?
Was Melo one of the NBA’s most talented players from 2003 through the mid-2010s? Absolutely. Was he the best player on the Knicks during his tenure from 2011 to 2017? Without question. However, when you compare his success with the team to that of the other eight players whose numbers hang in the MSG rafters, it simply doesn’t measure up. That’s why my vote remains a firm no. Personally, I’d sooner advocate for John Starks’ No. 3 to be retired, but I’ve come to accept that that is never going to happen.
On the other hand, those who believe he deserved to have his number retired by the Knicks most likely base it on the fact that Melo was a 10x All-Star and one of the NBA’s Top 75. He led the league in scoring during 2013 and has three gold medals, two of which he earned during his time in New York.
One thing that has always been interesting to me is the varying criteria teams use when deciding to retire a player’s number.
The players listed below all have their numbers retired by a team, each earning the honor for one reason or another. However, with the exception of Derrick Rose, none of them ever reached Melo’s superstar status or matched his list of career accolades. Yet, their teams and cities have chosen to forever cherish the impact they made and the time they devoted to their communities. So why shouldn’t the Knicks?
Buck Williams- Nets
Derrick Rose- Chicago
Zydrunas Ilgauskas- Cleveland
Brad Daugherty- Cleveland
Derek Harper- Dallas
Rolando Blackman- Dallas
Richard Hamilton- Detroit
Andre Iguodala- Warriors
Yao Ming- Houston
Udonis Haslem- Miami
Kevin Johnson & Dan Majerle - Phoenix
Mitch Richmond & Vlade Divac- Sacramento
Avery Johnson, Bruce Bowen, and Sean Elliott - Spurs
Jeff Hornacek- Utah