Van Gundy: Melo can fit with Clips
Jeff Van Gundy said he can see Carmelo Anthony as a sixth man for the Clippers, but the former Knicks coach can’t see him replacing Kevin Love in Cleveland.
The Clippers and Cavaliers are the two teams for which the Knicks believe Anthony would waive his no-trade clause to join. However, it will be intriguing how Anthony responds to his fourth-quarter benching in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers want Anthony, but not for Love, whom Knicks president Phil Jackson craves.
“It all depends on who it’s for,’’ Van Gundy, now a commentator for ESPN, told The Post regarding the Cavaliers’ interest. “To take an All-Star out to replace it with another, I wouldn’t think would be the goal. I would think keeping your main guys in place and making a deal with periphery people and draft choices to get another star talent.”
Hindering the chances are the Cavaliers’ roster makeup — the two salaries that would help a package belong to Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith — whom Jackson already has shipped to Ohio once before.
The Clippers also are trying to net Anthony on the cheap by dealing two reserve guards — Austin Rivers, whom Jackson met with in July during free agency, and former Knick Jamal Crawford, 36, who doesn’t fit the Knicks’ getyounger plan. Hence, a third team would be required.
When the Clippers get healthy with point guard Chris Paul’s return, Van Gundy advocates Anthony, should he land in Los Angeles, become the Clippers’ sixth man to balance the units and keep the defensive mindset of the starting unit.
“Great players can adjust to anything,’’ Van Gundy said. “He can start, obviously. It’s not that he’s not one of their five best players. It’s trying to fit into the rotation that keeps enough firepower on the court. So they get healthy, they have guys who can score and still have D’Andre [Jordan] and Luc [Mbah a Moute]. If you’re bringing off Anthony at the 3 [or] 4, his ability when Griffin and Paul rest to carry an offense would be a perfect fit.’’
Sitting the final 15-plus minutes of the Knicks’ comeback victory over the Nets could turn into impetus for Anthony to willingly bolt. Or, Van Gundy said, a positive response by Anthony to the benching could work wonders for the locker room. The Knicks (22-29) are just 1 ¹/2 games out of playoff position.
“I don’t think, as a coach, you don’t take those decisions lightly,’’ Van Gundy said. “Yet your job is to put your team in the best position to win. If a team is coming back and rolling, whether to reinsert a star, most times you do. But I give Jeff [Hornacek] a lot of credit for sticking with what was working.”