Carmelo Anthony x OKC: Welcome to the Storybook Ending
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony  stepped off a private jet Sunday afternoon  outside a tiny airport in a tiny city  and stepped into a surreal new reality.
 Anthony  grinned  walked the length of the fence  touched fingers through the links. Then  he  strolled back again   his  smile never wavering.
Oklahoma City is not where  Anthony   now 33  envisioned spending  his  twilight years as a pro. It's not where  he  set out to land when  he  began pressing the New York Knicks for a trade all those weeks ago. It would not have even made  his  top 25 the last time  he  forced a trade  in 2011.
It is  however   his  last  best hope to script a happy ending; indeed to change  his  career narrative.
This is not about stardom  which Anthony has long enjoyed. It's not about statistics  of which  he  has in abundance. It's not even about  his  resume. With 24 156 points (25th in NBA history)  three Olympic gold medals and an NCAA championship   he 's a near-lock for the Hall of Fame.
We have seen  Anthony  score at an elite level (albeit with a sometimes-maddening shot selection and a tendency to throttle the offense). At times  we've seen  him  pass and defend and rebound  too.
What we don't know  after 14 years on the NBA stage  is how much  Anthony  truly wants to winâand how much  he 's willing to sacrifice toward that end.
Will  he  accept a complementary role  to accommodate the reigning MVP (Russell Westbrook) and a younger  spryer All-NBA forward (Paul George)? Will  he  be OK with a smaller spotlight? Will  he  embrace life as a power forward  a position  he 's long resisted?
Those questions will surely come Monday afternoon  when  Anthony  faces the Oklahoma media for the first time. But maybe  he 's already telegraphed the answers.
When the breaking point came in New York  when  Anthony  and the Knicks mutually concluded they were better off apart   Anthony  specified a single trade target: Houston  where  he  could join the MVP runner-up (James Harden) and a perennial All-Star point guard (Chris Paul).
When that deal failed to materializeâand with training camp fast approaching âAnthony  expanded  his  list to Cleveland and Oklahoma City.
And as the Thunder and Knicks proceeded toward a deal   Anthony  waived  his  trade kicker (worth about $8 million) to ensure the deal.
In doing so   he  chose collaboration over comfort  talent over Nielsen rank  postseason promise over personal glory.  Anthony  has won just three playoff series in  his  career and made the conference finals only once (in 2009). Moving to Oklahoma City means a chance to be viewed as a winner  at long last.
" He 's choosing to come to us " one Thunder source said. "So there's a certain understanding on  his  part that  he  wants to learn a new way."
On Sunday  the most dedicated Thunder fans flocked to Will Rogers World Airport to welcome the swaggering star from the big city. They cheered him like a conquering hero. Only this time  Carmelo Anthony doesn't need to play savior. He just needs to fit in.
[TGT] stepped off a private jet Sunday afternoon  outside a tiny airport in a tiny city  and stepped into a surreal new reality.
  [TGT] grinned  walked the length of the fence  touched fingers through the links. Then   [TGT]   strolled back again    [TGT]   smile never wavering.
Oklahoma City is not where   [TGT] now 33  envisioned spending   [TGT]   twilight years as a pro. It's not where   [TGT]   set out to land when   [TGT]   began pressing the New York Knicks for a trade all those weeks ago. It would not have even made   [TGT]   top 25 the last time   [TGT]   forced a trade  in 2011.
It is  however    [TGT]   last  best hope to script a happy ending; indeed to change   [TGT]   career narrative.
This is not about stardom  which  [TGT]  has long enjoyed. It's not about statistics  of which  he  has in abundance. It's not even about  his  resume. With 24 156 points (25th in NBA history)  three Olympic gold medals and an NCAA championship   he 's a near-lock for the Hall of Fame.
We have seen  Anthony  score at an elite level (albeit with a sometimes-maddening shot selection and a tendency to throttle the offense). At times  we've seen  him  pass and defend and rebound  too.
What we don't know  after 14 years on the NBA stage  is how much  Anthony  truly wants to winâand how much  he 's willing to sacrifice toward that end.
Will  he  accept a complementary role  to accommodate the reigning MVP (Russell Westbrook) and a younger  spryer All-NBA forward (Paul George)? Will  he  be OK with a smaller spotlight? Will  he  embrace life as a power forward  a position  he 's long resisted?
Those questions will surely come Monday afternoon  when  Anthony  faces the Oklahoma media for the first time. But maybe  he 's already telegraphed the answers.
When the breaking point came in New York  when  Anthony  and the Knicks mutually concluded they were better off apart   Anthony  specified a single trade target: Houston  where  he  could join the MVP runner-up (James Harden) and a perennial All-Star point guard (Chris Paul).
When that deal failed to materializeâand with training camp fast approaching âAnthony  expanded  his  list to Cleveland and Oklahoma City.
And as the Thunder and Knicks proceeded toward a deal   Anthony  waived  his  trade kicker (worth about $8 million) to ensure the deal.
In doing so   he  chose collaboration over comfort  talent over Nielsen rank  postseason promise over personal glory.  Anthony  has won just three playoff series in  his  career and made the conference finals only once (in 2009). Moving to Oklahoma City means a chance to be viewed as a winner  at long last.
" He 's choosing to come to us " one Thunder source said. "So there's a certain understanding on  his  part that  he  wants to learn a new way."
On Sunday  the most dedicated Thunder fans flocked to Will Rogers World Airport to welcome the swaggering star from the big city. They cheered him like a conquering hero. Only this time  Carmelo Anthony doesn't need to play savior. He just needs to fit in.