WAYS MELO-KNICKS DIVORCE COULD PLAY OUT
Get ready for the summer of Melo-Drama, the final Knicks chapter. Following Phil Jackson's public discouragement of his star player, the relationship between Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks has moved way past the couples counseling phase, diving toward the divorce. Jackson, in his very flawed way, explained why the partnership is no longer practical, no longer agreeable to either side. And he's right. The Knicks and Anthony need each other now the way Donald Trump's hair needs a strong gust of wind. But given the elements, this figures to be a complicated and acrimonious negotiation process. The Knicks have little leverage, and Anthony — who shouldn't feel any obligation to appease Jackson — can sabotage negotiations because of the no-trade clause. Six years ago when he manipulated his way to the Knicks, Anthony demonstrated he's an expert at getting what he wants in these situations, both the money and location. Ideally, as Jackson said Friday, this works out for both parties. Anthony gets the team of his choice and the Knicks land valuable assets in return. But it can also go a different way. And here are three scenarios:
1) THE IDEAL
As Jackson said Thursday, the market will develop after the playoffs. The Knicks are hoping that potential landing spots for Anthony — the Cavs, the Clippers, the Celtics, the Wizards — all bomb in the postseason and become desperate, setting up a bidding war. At 32 years old and under these circumstances, Anthony isn't going to bring back equal value, but Jackson declared Friday he's looking for a "significant player" in return. Jackson said Anthony gave the Knicks a list of teams he'd agree to waive his no-trade clause for prior to the deadline in February, and described the market at that time as such: "We had some teams that were interested in making the chase. Some teams called that weren't amenable to Melo and his group. Some teams called that were but weren't willing to give up core groups or members of their team — which is understandable at that time of year. So we said no." Two teams the Knicks negotiated with were the Cavs — who didn't want to give up Kevin Love — and the Clippers — who were only willing to unload role players. Jackson hopes these offers increase after the playoffs. "You've got teams going into the playoffs who could be eliminated right away and say, 'That's not good enough. We're not good enough. We've got to go somewhere else.' ...You lose in the first round, it didn't work out, and you think, 'We gotta change some people on our team.' So there may be some quick outs that may change some people's minds as to what they're going to do."
2) THE POWER PLAY
If the Knicks encounter a similar market to the one they met at the trade deadline and Anthony is unwilling to alter his preferred list, there are two options for New York: 1) Give up Anthony for pennies on the dollar, or 2) Keep him on the roster.
That's Jackson's only leverage — his ability to make life miserable for Anthony by keeping him on the Knicks. It would promote further chaos and dysfunction, piling on the madness that prompted Kristaps Porzingis to boycott his exit interview last week. But that's the threat to Anthony, and frankly it doesn't sound so bad — collect $54 million while still living in your preferred city. Still, Jackson hopes Anthony cares enough about his legacy to want to get the heck out of here. What a backwards organization: "I (told Carmelo) we haven't won here. You don't want to end your career not winning, this is not something you want to have labeled on your career," Jackson said. "You want to get to that territory where you have a chance to win." From what we heard, Jackson's remarks to the media Thursday were harsher and blunter than what he actually said to Anthony in the exit interview, when the team president couched and talked around his issues with the All-Star forward. Hence Anthony sending out an Instagram post with a caption of "REALLY." next to a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio playing “The Great Gatsby.”
3) THE BUYOUT
Jackson says he isn't just going to dump Anthony. But we've seen this dance before. If Anthony refuses to expand his wish list, the negotiating leverage is compromised. He's already proven inadequate in negotiating deals under these circumstances, feeling compelled to rid the Knicks of JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and Tyson Chandler — and getting very little in return. Jackson also waived Brandon Jennings and Amar'e Stoudemire, six years after the Knicks negotiated a buyout with Stephon Marbury. Anthony has a lot more money remaining on his deal ($54 million), making this option a lot harder to swallow for New York. LOS ANGELES — Joe Johnson drove the lane and lifted in a shot at the buzzer, and the Utah Jazz overcame the loss of Rudy Gobert 17 seconds into the game to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 97-95 in their playoff opener on Saturday night.
Johnson had 21 points, including the final isolation play on Jamal Crawford.
CAVALIERS 109, PACERS 108: LeBron James scored 32 points and the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, looking to flip the switch after a shaky regular season, began the NBA playoffs by escaping with a victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers in Game 1.
Playing in his 200th playoff game, James added 13 assists and six rebounds while winning his 18th consecutive first-round game.
However, it was anything but easy as the Cavs had to withstand a strong comeback by the Pacers, who could have stolen the opener but C.J. Miles missed a 14-foot jumper in the final second.
SPURS 111, GRIZZLIES 82: Kawhi Leonard matched his postseason high with 32 points and San Antonio routed Memphis in Game 1 at home.
BUCKS 97, RAPTORS 83: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points, rookie Malcolm Brogdon had 16 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat host Toronto in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Playing in his second career playoff series, Antetekounmpo made 13 of 18 shots, and added eight rebounds and three assists. —AP