MELO HINTS BREAKUP IMMINENT
Melo sounds ready for Knicks divorce
Carmelo Anthony sounded Monday like a player who is readying for divorce proceedings at his end-ofthe-season meeting with Knicks brass.
After a season in which Anthony’s status with the team emerged as a constant narrative, with the star player feuding with team president Phil Jackson and the Knicks shopping Anthony before February’s trade deadline, Anthony delivered his strongest indication yet that he would seek an amicable split this summer.
“The chips will be on the table,” a half-smiling Anthony said of his upcoming meeting. “The chips will be on the table in that meeting. I mean, I don’t know what to expect, but I got a good feeling.”
It’s the third time in the last two weeks Anthony hinted at a break-up. Jackson, who was at the team’s facility Monday, walked away from reporters when asked for comment.
Anthony, however, weighed in on Jackson indirectly when asked about Scottie Pippen’s recent comments. Pippen, who helped Jackson’s Bulls capture six titles in the 1990s, had put the onus on Jackson for the team’s struggles while commending Anthony for handling everything the “right way.”
Asked about Pippen’s comments, Anthony — sporting a sly grin — seemed to welcome the outside voice. Perhaps especially with this instance, since it involved someone unaffiliated with the Knicks (or Anthony) being critical of Jackson.
“I think in this situation, everybody has an opinion,” Anthony said. “I think the fact that for one, we’re here in New York in one of the biggest markets in the world and we are the talk of that market, everyone has their opinion. I’m just glad people are speaking out whether it’s good or bad. People are speaking out with their own opinion instead of just me trying to convince or not convince people of the situation going on. ”
In January, following a critical story written by Jackson mouthpiece Charley Rosen, Anthony said of the front office, “If they feel my time in New York is over, I guess that’s a conversation we should have.” The following month Anthony told confidants he might wait Jackson out, with a source saying, “He still feels it’s his team and still loves it here.”
Should Anthony and the Knicks agree to part ways, a number of conditions would need to be satisfied. The sides would need to find a team that both wants and can afford Anthony. The Knicks and that team would have to agree on an acceptable return package and Anthony would need to waive his no- trade clause. The Knicks talked to the Celtics, Clippers and Cavaliers before the February trade deadline.
Anthony turns 33 in May. He has two seasons (one year, plus a player-option year) and approximately $54 million remaining on his contract, which also includes a 15 percent trade kicker.
Anthony, who has missed the past two games with knee and back pain after complaining Wednesday he didn’t know his role in the current Knicks ecosystem, said he will play Tuesday against the Bulls and expects to play the final five games of the season.
“I’m going to play,” Anthony said. “The time I’m on the court, I’m going to play basketball. It’s the game I’ve always had fun and enjoyed, although it hasn’t been as fun as I wanted it to be. ”