La La Anthony, the wife of New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, doesn't believe her husband is going to leave the Big Apple as a free agent. While acknowledging she'd support whatever decision Carmelo makes, she took a shot at the city of Denver.
Carmelo declared in October he'd opt out of his contract and become a free agent the summer. With the Knicks facing the very real possibility of not making the playoffs, rumors have flown about potential destinations for Carmelo. The latest rumor, according to a Yahoo! Sports source, has Carmelo eying the Chicago Bulls.
While it's possible Carmelo may leave in July for a team closer to competing for a title, La La sounded confident her family - and Carmelo - are "definitely" staying put.
"I definitely think he will stay," La La said on Tuesday in an interview on Bravo TV's "Watch What Happens Live", via ESPN. "I know that he wants to stay, and I support him wherever he wants to go.
"Listen, I used to live in Denver with him. If I can live in Denver, I can live anywhere. I just want him to be happy."
In addition to Chicago, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks are expected to pursue Carmelo as a free agent. All three teams have the salary cap flexibility to sign the perennial All-Star to a max-contract deal. Although the Bulls and the Mavericks have stronger rosters than the Lakers, Los Angeles still has the allure of Hollywood.
Carmelo has said his only goal now is to win a championship. One criticism of Carmelo, however, is that he will never to be anything more than a scorer. After a 62-point performance on Friday against Charlotte, the debate reignited.
Another prolific scorer, Lakers star Kobe Bryant, offered a means to remedy the growing public perception.
"The only way to do that is to win," said Bryant. "That's it. I won five championships and there's some of you guys [who] still say that. You just got to take it and roll with it. The important thing is winning a championship. That's the only way to shake it. That's the only way Michael [Jordan] shook it. That's the only way any top scorer will be able to shake it."
