New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony isn’t afraid of hiding his approval for Rajon Rondo.
The Sacramento Kings point guard is playing on a one-year prove-it-to-me contract after a disastrous run with the Dallas Mavericks in the second half of last season. So far, Rondo has exceeded expectations and likely will enter NBA free agency this summer looking for one final massive payday.
Anthony hopes the veteran guard chooses New York.
“I think Rondo — just me personally, I don’t want to be tampering — but I’ve heard he said he wouldn’t thrive in a system like this,” Anthony told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “I think he’d be perfect in a system like this.”
Anthony also said he tried to recruit Rondo during the point guard’s tenure with the Boston Celtics.
“I’ve talked to him kind of behind the scenes, kind of doing what I do best. Tried to get him to think about playing in New York,” Anthony said. “There was a time where he wanted to come. It’s out of my hands at that point.”
Melo is right: Rondo would be a good fit in the Knicks’ triangle system. But like any situation, there would be pros and cons to signing Rondo.
Anthony takes a ton of shots and needs the ball in his hands often to be most effective. Rondo, as a pass-first point guard, is the right type of playmaker for Anthony and would find him in the best shooting spots, both in the halfcourt and transition.
Rondo is 30 years old, though, and his poor outside and free-throw shooting are genuine concerns, especially when you consider how today’s game is played. Giving him a max contract certainly would be more risky than some of the other free agents who could hit the market in July.
That said, if Rondo’s current per game averages — 11.9 points, 12 assists, 6.2 rebounds — hold up, it would be surprising if he didn’t get a max deal.
Thumbnail photo via Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports Images
