SITTIN’ PRETTY

Carmelo Anthony’s best career choice might be to accept a bench role, for a contender

Carmelo Anthony scoffed at the idea. “C’mon man,” he said last month following what may be his last game as a member of the Knicks, “we don’t even have to go there.” The question was whether he’d be willing to come off the bench, obviously a nonstarter of a concept in Melo’s view. To be fair, the inquiry was about his role with the Knicks, and frankly no player of Anthony’s caliber would be happy as a reserve on a team riding a four-year lottery streak.

But a Sixth Man on the Cavs? The Spurs? The Clippers? The Celtics? The Wizards? That’s something Anthony should get behind, if only because it would help Phil Jackson get the forward out of this New York misery.

On a title contender, 32-year-old Anthony isn’t the No. 1 or 2 option. He’s an elite scorer − a certified firecracker when he’s in the zone − but physically no longer the player who should dominate the ball and command 20 shots per game. In New York, Phil Jackson never provided Anthony a reason to pass off those duties. Kristaps Porzingis, to steal Jackson’s own assessment, isn’t ready.

But imagine Anthony unleashing his offense in shorter spurts, feasting on second units with lesser defenders. If he’s not coming off the bench, then at the very least Anthony’s going to have to accept a reduced role by leaving the Knicks. It would help his productivity as well.

“You saw this season that the workload took a toll on him,” a scout told the Daily News. “He wore down physically as the season progressed, lost his lift.”

Today Anthony’s greatest value is complementing other franchise players on a contender. Perhaps it’s serving as the focal point of the offense when the starters sit. The contract merits something else, but there’s no team left in the NBA that’s going to trade for Anthony to be it’s No. 1 guy.

Adjustments from Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson in their mid-30s should serve as the examples. They’re similar type of players to Anthony, and always adapted to personnel while contributing to playoff runs.

But it’s fair to wonder if Anthony is truly amenable to a reduced role. This is the same player who shunned Slam Magazine last summer for ranking him as the 15th-best player in the league, a position most view as very generous. “It was disrespectful,” Anthony responded. The trade market certainly doesn’t define Anthony as a top-15 player. The Knicks learned that at the February deadline. The fact that neither Doc Rivers nor Cavs GM David Griffin were willing to give up any of their top players to land Anthony was a clear indication of where they’d view him on the totem pole.

This is setting up as an intriguing game of chicken between Anthony and the Knicks. Anthony owns the no-trade clause, while Jackson’s only leverage is his ability to torture a player by keeping him on a bad team.

What a time to be a Knicks fan. All of this begs the question: Why would Jackson alienate Anthony in his press conference if he needs his help facilitating a trade?

The very unappealing option for the Knicks − but also the one that is common under these circumstances − is to waive Anthony, buy out his contract and send him into free agency. That way a team like the Clippers could scoop up Anthony for nothing on a reduced salary.

But Jackson, as you may suspect, indicated that wasn’t an option.

“I told (Carmelo), ‘We’re not going to − this is not a situation where we’re going to dump you or do anything like that.’ But we’re looking to improve ourselves however we can,” the team president said.

Improving for the Knicks these days is assets for a rebuild. For Jackson, that also means players who will buy into the triangle.

For teams looking to acquire Anthony, a trade means a complementary piece and a player they’ll ask to sacrifice.

It’s the only way a deal happens.