Carmelo Anthony gets ringing Pat Riley endorsement as he gets Hall of Fame finalist nod

SAN FRANCISCO – A formality was made official Friday night when Carmelo Anthony, arguably the greatest Knick since Patrick Ewing, was named a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame. And as he took that step closer to the orange jacket on his first ballot, Anthony received a strong endorsement from the legendary executive who had to face the forward throughout his career. “He’s one of the great players, ever.Really,” Pat Riley, the Miami Heat president, said in an interview with The Post.

“A tough guard.Can shoot.

Good size.Athletic.

And carried a franchise in Denver for a long time, went to New York.Always a tough cover so you had to game plan for him every night.

And had a great career. “I think from the standpoint of what they call small forwards, he wasn’t just that.He can play small forward, sure.

He can play power forward.Back then, we were more positional.

He could play the two-guard.Today, he’d be playing 5.

That’s just the way the game has grown.But he deserves it.

I hope he makes it.”Anthony is a shoe-in for the class of 2025, with the inductees enshrined on April 5 in Springfield, Mass.He ranks No.

10 in the NBA in career points, ahead of Moses Malone and just behind Kevin Durant and Shaquille O’Neal.He’s also a 10-time All-Star, including six appearances with the Knicks.

The biggest hole in Melo’s resume is no NBA championship rings.Riley, a nine-time NBA champion in various roles, can’t relate but understands it shouldn’t prohibit a Hall of Fame induction.    Anthony, after all, took on the burden of leading the Knicks when the franchise was in dark days and had little help for most of his 6 ½ seasons. “Welcome to the big time,” Riley said.

“So you have to accept it.You can’t run away from it.

So I think he always accepted that.It was probably frustrating for him at times because he didn’t win in some of those years. “When you’re the face of the franchise, there’s great expectations.

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