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Tyson Chandler Feels Sorry For Carmelo Anthony

By Evan Massey

Dec 16, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) fights for a rebound with New York Knicks shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (5) and New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Mavericks defeated the Knicks 107-87. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) fights for a rebound with New York Knicks shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (5) and New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Mavericks defeated the Knicks 107-87. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dallas Mavericks and former New York Knicks big man Tyson Chandler feels sorry for NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony this season.

Carmelo Anthony chose to return to the New York Knicks on a massive contract this past offseason in free agency, and his former teammate Tyson Chandler feels sorry for what he is going through so far. The Knicks have started off at just 5-22 this season, and his decision to return to New York and build a contender has backfield in a big way in year one.

Phil Jackson did everything he could to acquire talent to put around Anthony, and one of his biggest moves was trading away Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler to the Dallas Mavericks. New York isn’t anywhere near being a contender again, and they don’t have much young talent on the roster that will continue growing either.

Chandler talked to the media about feeling sorry for the situation his former teammate is in so far this season.

"“I do because he’s a competitor. I laced them up and went to battle with him for the last three years and know what kind of competitor he is. I know he wants to win, and I know he’s going to take a lot of this heat. And it’s unfortunate because he’s a hell of a player in our league. It’s just unfortunate.”"

"“He signed a contract to come back here with expectations of doing everything in his power to take this team to the next level. I ultimately feel like it will with the right pieces. They have to get luck with some things in free agency or get a high draft pick or whatever the case may be, but it takes a while to change the culture. You bring in a new coach and you bring in a new offense and a new identity. As long as players and everybody here understands that it’s a process, it’ll be all right. The moment it gets tough is when you’re losing. Losing makes things difficult.”"

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Just a couple short seasons ago in the 2012-13 season, the Knicks went 54-28 and were the second overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They ended up losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round, but they were still a legitimate postseason contender.

One of the biggest issues is that J.R. Smith has come up with dud seasons over the last two years, and has turned into a ball-hogging machine. Amar’e Stoudemire is finally showing signs of health this season, but still isn’t the dominant scoring option that he used to be. Outside of that, the Knicks have Tim Hardaway Jr. who can score and that’s just about it.

New York is well on their way to a nice lottery pick, and it isn’t going to turn around this year. Anthony probably wouldn’t mind a trade away from the Knicks, but that isn’t going to happen now that he is locked up long-term. It’s looking more and more like he made a mistake by picking money over winning during free agency.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Where Are The Lowly New York Knicks?

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