PLAYOFFS?!?
Knicks focus on postseason hopes instead of Carmelo trade rumors
The rumors fly — everywhere and virtually every day. Reports concerning Carmelo Anthony and a possible trade have dominated the Knicks’ landscape in recent days.
Through it all, his teammates support Anthony … while talking about and trying to focus on the playoffs.
Cue the Jim Mora video: “Playoffs? … You kidding me? Playoffs?”
“The vibe in the locker room is always good, everybody gets along, everybody still believes,” said guard Brandon Jennings, who likely will start Sunday at Atlanta because Derrick Rose is listed as doubtful with a sprained left ankle.
“[Anthony is] one of the greatest scorers, what, 23,000 points? We need him,” Jennings said. “We need him to have his confidence. We need him to not worry about outside stuff. Just prove everybody wrong. Let’s go make the playoffs.”
Reality shows the postseason is not nearly as far-fetched as it seems, despite the Knicks’ recent five-week plunge. The Knicks went from three games over .500 (16-13) to seven games under (20-27) before outlasting the Hornets, 110-107, Friday. Even with that 4-14 skid, the Knicks began Saturday just two games out of the eighth playoff spot, 2 ½ games behind the seventh spot and 6 ½ behind the fourth seed.
How is that possible? They play in the Eastern Conference, where 2 ½ games separate five teams.
“That’s the beautiful thing about it,” Courtney Lee said. “Stay positive and turn this around.”
Of course, the postseason reward for the Knicks is a likely first-round ouster, but they’ll take it if it means making the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
“We still believe,” Anthony said. “We believe it’s right there. Our goal is to make the playoffs and we see it. Even though we have lost some games, other teams are losing games, too, giving us an opportunity to be right there.”
Anthony has dealt with the constant bombardment of reports that team president Phil Jackson is seeking to trade him. Anthony has a full no-trade clause, so Jackson’s options are limited. Reports from Los Angeles said Doc Rivers, coach and general manager of the Clippers, for which Anthony’s good buddy Chris Paul plays, would consider trading his son, Austin, if necessary, in a deal for Melo.
This is what Anthony and the Knicks deal with daily. They must muffle the outside noise to concentrate on games.
“I do it. I’m out there performing,” Anthony said. “When I’m out there on that court, in between those lines, that’s all I think about, going out there, competing and being the best that I can be and trying to win basketball games.
“Everything else is second fiddle to me once I’m out there.”
But the bombardment can be mentally draining.
“You’ve got to deal with that even though I try not to read it,” Anthony said. “Everywhere you go, even if you don’t hear about it somebody is telling you about it, somebody is saying something. It can be mentally draining, mentally fatiguing. Then have to get up and re-shift your focus on playing basketball.”
Anthony was asked if perhaps he sought advice in dealing with Jackson from retired Laker Kobe Bryant, another BFF.
“No,” Anthony said. “We were in totally two different situations. He was actually playing for Phil. Phil is in the front office, management, now. I try to just come to work and play. I don’t like to deal with all the nonsense.”
Teammates try the same sidestep stuff. Kristaps Porzingis, who again stressed his desire to keep Anthony on the Knicks, said the best way to block out the distractions is to “just not talk about it.” Lee said the same.
“The easiest thing to do is not pay attention to it because if anything’s going to happen or if anything’s going on, us players, coaches, front office, we’re going to know first,” Lee said. That is easier said than done. “As a team I think we’re doing a good job just staying focused, staying together, encouraging Melo to keep playing and don’t worry about that,” Jennings said. “I don’t want to see Melo go. He’s a big part of this team. He’s a scorer. He’s a guy we need to score.”