Carmelo Anthony got his meeting with Knicks president Phil Jackson on Tuesday before the Knicks flew to Boston, and reportedly it was “far more contentious” than previous sitdowns.
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Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported that Anthony reaffirmed that he wants to stay with the Knicks during his meeting with Jackson. The relationship between Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony isn’t looking great, and some of which is attributed to Jackson’s tendency to speak publically about whatever.
Anthony was asked about his loyalty to the organization Monday after he wondered a day earlier about the organization’s loyalty to him.
Anthony, 32, is averaging 22.2 points and 6.0 rebounds through 41 games this season with the Knicks (18-24), who are now 11th in the Eastern Conference standings. “(Carmelo) wants to stay in NY and win in NY”.
Unless some miracle turnaround occurs within the next couple of weeks, it’s already a foregone conclusion how this season will play out if the same results occur with the Knicks continuing to lose. This is the reason why most analysts think that the Knicks should move on from Anthony. It seems like the same old story in NY, even though Anthony still thinks they can change the ending.
Whether he wants out or not, Anthony has fared well under the intense spotlight of the New York City media.
Melo/Jackson meeting was calm, business-like, a source told @TheVertical.
By now, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony must be getting exhausted of hearing his name get mentioned in trade rumors.
It would be hard to convince “Melo to waive his no-trade clause to go to a rebuilding team. It was a deal that was talked about, thought about, and that was probably the closest that we came”.
“I’ve never even thought about that”, Anthony said of his no-trade clause, according to Isola.
Carmelo Anthony wanted to join the Knicks, loves playing in NY, by most accounts, and is in the middle of a five-year contract with a no-trade clause.
In other news, Sporting News reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to acquire Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap and Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel.
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Anthony is averaging 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists over 33.2 minutes per game this season, but the Knicks have hit a major slump and fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff race at the moment. His scoring efficiency fell back to earth, and he essentially skipped half of the abysmal 2014-15 season (though it is worth noting that had he played, the Knicks might have been too good to get the pick that became Kristaps Porzingis). Not only is NY losing at a horrifically poor rate, but its franchise player has been involved in consistent trade speculation.
