Dwight Howard became the villain during his free agency run last summer. He certainly learned the do's and do not's when it comes to picking a team for the future. His move to leave $30 million on the table in favor of winning in Houston, certainly put a new twist on the free agency run for marquee players. Now, he is lending a hand to others looking to do the same thing, specifically Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony is preparing to enter the free agency frenzy this offseason. His future is the talk of the league especially considering the downfall of the New York Knicks this year. Anthony will likely be hoping to avoid the hate Howard got during his run, so it makes sense that the two have talked.
Howard told USA Today that he has been speaking with Anthony about his upcoming decision. While Anthony has avoided talking to the media about free agency, he apparently is not shying away from talking with other players.
"He has been in the league for a long time," Howard said, via USAToday.com. "He hasn't made it to the Finals and at this point in his career he wants to win. You can see it every night when he plays. I know he has to take a lot of shots and all that stuff, but he just wants to win. I can't say (what he'll do). That's on him. He's got to decide. (But) he can't be what everybody else wants. In this situation, you've got to take your heart out of it...So I'd just say for him, take his heart out of it and think with his head and think about business."
Anthony will have plenty of teams interested in giving him the most money they can, similar to Howard last season. The Los Angeles Clippers or Chicago Bulls are considered the frontrunners to land the guard. Anthony recently said that his optimism is running thin with the Knicks as the losses continue to mount. The team is not set up to win for the future and while they can offer Anthony the most money, he could opt to take the Howard road and head elsewhere despite the dollar signs.
"If you don't win, you're not going to get all the (off-court) stuff you want anyway," Howard said. "I saw that last year (in Los Angeles). I was in the biggest market for the NBA, and we lost, so those (companies) aren't going to be coming to you for losing."