Carmelo Anthony chose to remain a Knick for another five years of his career, and so he has to face the reality that they are not in shape to contend for an NBA championship, perhaps, even for a playoff spot. However, he will get the most money on any table in the NBA and he gets to play in historic Madison Square Garden. That's about it.

Melo might have got some New York fans' hopes down for being brutally honest, but at least he is displaying rational thought. He will be judged for his choice, but at least he is fully aware of the choice he is making.

He had an interview with Raul Alzaga of PrimeraHora.com:

"I do not expect to win a championship this year. That's something that takes time and everything has to be in sync, from management to players. We have much work to do, but something that drives me. I know we can start creating the foundation of what we do. It's the start of a good process. Next year we will have enough money to spend within the salary cap. But this year it is important to take the necessary steps towards those who will in the next year. I want to concentrate on building what we want from this year. "

(Translation from NBC Sports)

For a while there, everyone thought Phil Jackson used the full Zen on Melo. But it's now clear that he made a choice. Perhaps it was the most rational choice given what we think he knew.

At some point in the free agency frenzy, when Carmelo made his 'Melo tour' to Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles he suddenly fell silent and waited for LeBron James. This led to speculation that they might seek a common destination. Was that really the case, or did he already know that LeBron James was planning to transfer to Cleveland-and he had to wait for it to happen to make sure?

There was no real reason for the delay since all the teams made their pitch. The main dilemma for Melo was that the team with the best chance to win the title (Chicago Bulls) also needed him to take a pay cut. If it were against the Miami Heat of last year, Melo felt he had a chance. But if LeBron James already planned out the Cleveland move all the way to the Love trade (which some writers insinuate) and Melo knew about it, then he felt the pay cut would be futile.

Will we ever see LeBron and Carmelo on both equally competitive team? Only time could tell.