If Carmelo Anthony is a traitor, then so is Nolan Arenado
Mar 1, 2021, 8:42 AM
It finally became official. There had been headlines. There had been words spoken on radio and television. And there’d been press conferences.
But it didn’t quite seem real until he stepped onto a diamond wearing another uniform. And that happened on Sunday, when Nolan Arenado made his debut as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Wearing that bright red jersey, he stepped to the plate in a spring training game and manned his normal position at third base. That’s when he finally sank in. The All-Star is no longer a star for the Colorado Rockies; he’s someone else’s gem now.
The reaction to this sight was interesting. There was sadness, as fans lamented the fact that Arenado had moved on. But there wasn’t any anger, at least not toward the player. Instead, most Rockies fans seemed to wish him well, hoping he’d find happiness in his new location.
Contrast those feelings to the last time a star left the Mile High City. In February 2011, Carmelo Anthony was traded from the Nuggets to the Knicks. The All-Star forward’s departure generated vitriol, as fans wished him nothing but sadness and failure in New York.
One breakup generated anger. The other led to well wishes.
That begs on question: Why the difference?
After all, both players chose to leave Colorado. Melo demanded a trade, as did Arenado.
The consensus on social media tends to come down to the reason why each forced their way out of town. The feeling is that Anthony left a winning organization, wanting to chase better things in bigger market. Meanwhile, Arenado simply wanted to escape a dysfunctional franchise, hoping to finally win.
One motivation is selfish. The other is altruistic.
Both are an oversimplification of the respective situations. And both are a bunch of bunk.
A decade ago, Anthony was in line for a huge contract with the Nuggets. But before signing the extension, he wanted some assurance that the team would continue to invest around him. He didn’t want to be stuck in a no-win situation, even if he was earning big money.
That storyline was largely ignored. Instead, it was easier to suggest that Melo wanted to live in New York, that his wife was pushing him to play somewhere that was better for her career, too.
But Melo’s concerns were real. And they proved to be valid.
In the season’s after he left, the Nuggets payroll was in the bottom half of the NBA for eight-straight seasons. Denver finished 22nd, 21st, 17th, 28th, 20th, 27th, 18th and 18th in spending from 2011-19.
That’s a pretty good sign that the team wasn’t willing to spend the money needed to contend. During that same time, New York was repeatedly had a payroll that finished in the top 10 of the league.
Still not convinced that Melo was onto something? Still believe that the Nuggets care about winning more than money?
After winning the NBA’s Executive of the Year award in 2013, Masai Ujiri was a hot commodity. The general manager was offered a five-year, $15-million deal by the Toronto Raptors. The Nuggets chose to let him walk.
In the years since, Ujiri has built an NBA championship team. He would’ve been a good investment, at least for a franchise wanting to win.
So the idea that the Nuggets were a winning organization isn’t entirely accurate. They’ve repeatedly proven that W’s aren’t the franchise’s No. 1 goal.
The notion that the Rockies aren’t trying to win is equally flawed. They’ve proven repeatedly that they’ll do whatever they can to build a winner.
After reaching the postseason in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history, Colorado spent a ton of money to keep things rolling in 2019. They boasted the 11th highest payroll in baseball, a major commitment from a mid-market team in a non-salary-cap sport.
This included signing Arenado to an eight-year, $260-million deal. That’s a pretty big statement.
But it didn’t end there. The Rockies also inked the most-expensive bullpen in the history of Major League Baseball.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Despite being 44-39 on June 29, the Rockies finished the 2019 season 20 games under .500. They collapsed in the second half of the season, ending with a disappointing 71-91 mark.
Heading into last season, Colorado had to discover if that 23-52 finish was an aberration or the norm. Given that they were a postseason team in 2017 and ’18, plus above .500 for more than half of the ’19 campaign, there was plenty of reasons to believe they could rebound in ’20.
But that wasn’t good enough for Arenado. After three bad months, he wanted to organization to turn the page. He threw his teammates under the bus, suggesting that the roster around him wasn’t good enough to win. Less than a calendar year after signing a $260-million contract, the third baseman was questioning the Rockies commitment to winning.
It was a ridiculous stance. When he signed his eight-year deal, he knew that the Rockies were a mid-market team. He knew that they couldn’t buy their way out of mistakes like the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers.
So he shouldn’t have been surprised when Colorado was forced to ride out the final years of big deals given to Wade Davis, Jake McGee, Bryan Shaw, Ian Desmond, Daniel Murphy and others. That’s the way they have to operate.
But he didn’t have any patience. Not even for one year. Arenado was unwilling to see if his teammates could bounce back from one down season.
Instead, he pouted. He didn’t work out with his teammates prior to spring training and didn’t report until the last minute.
That led to the other big difference between Melo and Arenado. After voicing their desires to be traded, one player performed well, while the other tanked.
During his final season with the Nuggets, Anthony averaged 25.2 points and 7.6 rebounds. He played at an All-Star level, helping Denver to a 32-25 mark at the break.
Contrast that performance to Arenado, who hit just .253 during his final season in purple pinstripes. During the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, the third baseman was repeatedly scratched from the lineup by Bud Black because of his struggles at the plate.
One player continued to earn his paycheck. The other didn’t. One guy played hard for his teammates. The other didn’t. One guy put his soon-to-be-former organization in the best spot possible. The other didn’t.
It all adds up to one huge double standard. Carmelo Anthony is seen as a traitor, while Nolan Arenado is viewed as a victim of circumstances.
Neither explanation is entirely true. Both star athletes bailed on Denver. And both should be viewed in similar lights.
