Carmelo Anthony Said He Hopes The Knicks Will One Day Retire His Number At Madison Square Garden

NY Post- The Knicks have a very discriminating view on who gets their jersey retired in the Garden rafters: champions and Patrick Ewing. Carmelo Anthony appears to fall short, but he can hope. The Nuggets have already indicated Anthony will get his jersey retired, but in Denver he was among the NBA’s most clutch shotmakers and led the Nuggets to 10 straight playoff berths.

That didn’t happen in New York. Anthony played seven seasons; the final four the club missed the playoffs and he lost his clutch gene. Anthony was asked if he has ever thought about his jersey being retired at the Garden after his Blazers romped the Knicks Tuesday night. “Do I think about it? Anybody would want to get that opportunity if it’s there. We’ll see when that time comes. Hopefully, they’ll hang ‘7’ somewhere up there,” Anthony said.

I know the Knicks fans that didn't love the Carmelo Anthony Era in New York are going to freak out about this quote since the only Knicks players to have their numbers in the rafters either brought championship banners to those rafters or brought two Eastern Conference Champions banners to those rafters and was a Hakeem Olajuwon fingernail away from potentially adding a third championship banner. 

But those haterz need to #STAYME7O! Of course Carmelo Anthony would like to have his number in the rafters along with all the other banners he put up at MSG like the*checks notes* 2012-13 Atlantic Division Champions banner and *checks notes again then quietly closes book and hopes nobody notices that was the only banner*. Carmelo Anthony NOT wanting his number immortalized in the World's Most Famous Arena would be a much bigger story in my opinion.

That being said, I have a hard time retiring the number of a guy who may have gotten his fair share of buckets but only made it to the playoffs as a Knick three times in what was usually a weak Eastern Conference, advanced to the 2nd round just once, and had the moment the Knicks were bounced out of that 2nd round appearance immortalized in both photo form:

As well as logo form:

I know Melo is the best player the Knicks have had since Patrick Ewing was shipped out of town and having to play during what historians will refer to as the Reign of Dolan should get Melo's career 224-273 record in New York as well as emo #STAYME7O tweets graded on a curve. Plus all the people who treated Carmelo Anthony's hiatus from basketball like it was Muhammad Ali's exile from boxing would be really happy, which could probably get the Knicks a whole bunch of Internet Points if not some Brownie Points with upcoming free agents that would never dream of willfully working for this asshole.

However, if the Knicks are going to retire number 7, I need them to raise three more banners that were just as big as Carmelo Anthony's time with the Knicks.

1. The JR Smith Pipe DM because it was the moment I realized Twitter wasn't going anywhere

2. Linsanity because it was easily the best couple of weeks I've had as a Knicks fan since the unlikely 1999 Finals run. They should retire this magazine cover instead of the Number 17 though because the fact it actually exists is incredible (plus the three stories above the headline is proof that time is a flat circle and/or we are living in a simulation)

Annnnnnd

3. The I'm Coming Home Video that can still give me goosebumps and not because New York tried to claim the biggest Baltimore athlete at the time

Actually you know what? Fuck it. Maybe the Number 7 is actually be worthy of retirement in the Mecca of Basketball (Sadness) despite Melo not even sniffing the playoffs after Roy Hibbert memed him because that video still makes me feel things and Melo going to a bodega in his bathrobe with a stack of cash after winning another gold medal was better than anything a Knicks has done on the hardwood in years.

Oh yeah and if we are talking about Knicks tweets, I have to give Melo #RE7PECT for this gem.

#RAISEME7O