Carmelo 'shocked' Wade left Heat
Dwyane Wade was the face of the Miami Heat franchise for 13 seasons, helping win three NBA championships for the organization during that span.
It was looking more and more like he was going to be in South Beach for the remainder of his career, but that all changed this summer when negotiations with the team fell through during free agency and he elected to take his talents to his hometown Chicago Bulls on a two-year contract.
That news floored New York Knicks star and close friend Carmelo Anthony.
"I was shocked," Anthony said prior to Thursday's practice with the U.S. men's OIympic team, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "I was shocked more from a standpoint it was just hard to see. It's hard to see some players in different uniforms and he's one of those guys who I never thought I would see in a different uniform other than Miami. But it happened, and I got a chance to talk to him and sit down with him and really dig deep about his feelings and what happened. He's at peace now. And when he's at peace, I'm at peace with it."
Anthony respects the grind that comes with being on the open market and how emotionally exhausting a process it can be to figure out where you'll be playing basketball for the foreseeable future. He was in that spot just two years ago, although he ultimately remained in The Big Apple on a new five-year deal.
"I don't think the masses really understand how difficult those decisions are," Anthony said. "And what goes into those decisions. And as athletes what's going through our mind during those decisions. A lot of people think we can just wake up and we can just make those decisions - it's not that easy."
The Knicks and Bulls will be jockeying for position in a much-improved Eastern Conference, and with the Knicks' additions of ex-Bulls Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, perhaps fans will be treated to a renewal of the rivalry between the two sides.
"I know you guys want that," Anthony added. "I know you're living for that. But we embrace that. I think as players, as competitors, we embrace all of those challenges and rivalries, that's what makes the sport great again, so we embrace that."