Game-winner off mark, just like Jax’s strategy
The shot rolled in then out, leaving Carmelo Anthony staggering to the scorer’s table like a punch drunk boxer.
“That was a tough one to digest,” Anthony would say after the lowly Phoenix Suns held on for a 107105 win on Saturday at the Garden.
Anthony’s body language at the final buzzer said it all — another loss and more agony for the Knicks’ most accomplished player who recently can’t seem to catch a break.
The way this season is going – the Knicks have lost 13 of their last 16 – you have to wonder how long it’s going to be before Garden Chairman James Dolan and/or team president Phil Jackson does something about it. “I’m done kinda worrying about that,” Anthony said of a potential shake-up. “My only focus is the guys in the locker room.”
The only 3-pointer Carmelo missed all night left the Knicks a season-high seven games under .500. At 19-26, the Knicks would need to go 22-15 the rest of the way just to finish 41-41. And there is no guarantee that a .500 record would even get them in the playoffs. Any momentum you thought the Knicks could build upon following Wednesday’s big win in Boston is gone. They’ve lost consecutive home games and will now play four of their next five games on the road. The season could be over before the All-Star break.
If any player needed luck on his side, it’s Anthony, who spent the week having to answer for his relationship with Jackson and his future with the team while Jackson stays silent. In fact, the only encouragement Anthony received all week came from the most unlikely source. Gregg Popovich indirectly supported the Knicks on Saturday, marking the first time all season that a coaching legend/high ranking basketball executive publicly backed Jeff Hornacek and Anthony.
Leave it to Pop to do what Phil is apparently incapable of doing. Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs head coach, thought that the actions of Wizards assistant coach Sidney Lowe last Thursday were “unsportsmanlike, it’s childish, it’s inappropriate. There’s no place for it.” He was referring to Lowe standing on the court and potentially distracting Courtney Lee seconds before the Knicks guard passed up a crucial last second shot in a Knicks loss. Now, if we can only get Popovich to compliment Carmelo maybe the Knicks can get their season back on track.
Jackson’s subtle and not-so-subtle criticism of Anthony this season has been both ill-timed and off target. It has also created a media circus at the Garden that hasn’t been seen since Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury were going at it a decade ago. And we all remember how Dolan responded to that soap opera.
The Carmelo-Phil relationship, which was never great, is kaput. Or to put it more precisely, don’t hold your breath if you’re expecting to hear Carmelo to utter his famous phrase “I believe in Phil” ever again.
The question is, does Dolan still have faith in the highest paid basketball executive in franchise history?
Does Dolan believe that Phil poking Anthony is good for the Knicks and good for business? I highly doubt it. Jackson’s staunch supporters love to point out that this is Phil playing the mind games that he was so famous for with the Bulls and Lakers. Not so fast. What they conveniently fail to mention is that Jackson coached Chicago and Los Angeles. A coach using the media to send a message to his team is standard operating procedure. And while it’s clear that Phil is trying to coach the Knicks from his center court seat at MSG, the fact remains that he’s the president, not the head coach.
And when has it ever been productive for an executive to take pot shots at his best player? That method doesn’t resonate in a locker room. It only divides.
In fact, a case could be made that Phil’s ill-timed comments have helped to undermine the team. Since Phil’s Dec. 6 interview with CBS Sports Network when he said that Carmelo stalls the offense, the Knicks have gone 5-14, including Saturday’s loss to Phoenix.
That’s not the only factor, of course. Injuries, poor defensive habits and game plan, Derrick Rose’s unexcused absence and bad luck have all contributed to the Knicks’ season taking a dramatic turn. Another defensive lapse from Rose on Devin Booker’s go-ahead three with 31 seconds left was the difference on Saturday.
“As far as (this week being) emotionally draining I try not to think about it,” said Anthony, who was consoled by his teammates and a young fan as he sat on the scorer’s table. “I try to deal with it day by day. It came down to one play. That shot was in. That shot goes in we’re singing a different tune.”
But in a year where Jackson desperately wants to get into the playoffs – hence, the deals for Rose and Joakim Noah – it was counterproductive for Jackson to be picking a public fight with Carmelo.
Unless Jackson’s ultimate goal is to get Carmelo to waive his no-trade clause, which remains a long-shot but is not out of the question.
Carmelo left that door open this week when he told Newsday that he would consider a trade if the Knicks decided to rebuild. That makes sense.
It was also a stroke of genius because it put the ball back in Jackson’s court. If Jackson, the savior, decided to rebuild at this stage of his tenure he would be admitting failure.
And that happens about as often as Halley’s Comet.
Jackson would be conceding that re-signing Anthony was a mistake as well as trading for Rose and especially signing Noah for $72 million over four years.
Carmelo still holds all the cards. He has final say over any deal and unless we’re talking about a contender – Cavs, Spurs, Warriors and Clippers – he’s not going to let Jackson off that easy.
Maybe Jackson got what he wanted; he poked Carmelo until Melo conceded that, under the right circumstances, he would consider an amicable divorce. But it has to happen on Carmelo’s terms, not Phil’s.
Apparently, Carmelo can play mind games as well. And he’s quite good at it.