McGrady slams Phil

NEW ORLEANS — If Tracy McGrady were in Carmelo Anthony’s shoes, the reaction to Phil Jackson’s subliminal shots would be a lot different and a lot more confrontational.

That’s according to the recent Hall of Fame finalist, who on Saturday unloaded on the Knicks president for his handling of Anthony.

“Melo’s better than me because all that s--t that’s going on with Melo and Phil, and Phil has the arrogance to sit in the stands, at these games, and I’m playing great basketball — I’d be looking at him every trip down the court or something. Just gazing at him, like, ‘You see the s--t that I’m doing out here like every night? Nah,’” McGrady said. “Some players can play through that, others can’t. Obviously Melo is showing his mental toughness because playing in the Garden is not an easy place to play. Especially for Melo there. And he’s been doing his thing lately.”

McGrady said he was in a similar situation while playing with the Magic, when he feuded with former Orlando GM John Weisbrod and demanded a trade — “I didn’t want to leave but he was so over-the-top with his control, I couldn’t take it anymore and I had to get out of there,” McGrady said.

The 37-year-old, who was among 14 finalists announced Saturday for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, finds it unfair that Jackson has shunned the media while Anthony is forced to diffuse fires.

“I’m not going to let you disrespect in the public’s eye like that,” McGrady said. “You’re not going to be sending subliminal messages about me like that and I don’t respond to that. I don’t operate like that. I’m just not going to do it. And then you hide and don’t do any media? You leave everything for me to talk about? Nah, that’s not cool. You haven’t done media since September and here we are in February. I got to sit there in front of the media and answer all these questions about what you said. Nah. I don’t work like that. But kudos to Melo. I just don’t operate like that.”

McGrady was also critical of the way the Knicks handled one of his former teammates from Toronto — Charles Oakley — and said the totality of circumstances negatively impacts the franchise in the eyes of free agents.

“You got to understand, Oak is very passionate, is very loyal and the way they treated him that night was awful. I didn’t want to see that,” McGrady said. “At the same time, I don’t want to see Oak lose control and put