MELO-DRAMA
Anthony LOLs after Jax attacks
Phil Jackson publicly sent Carmelo Anthony to the trading block, using his first media appearance since September to relay the following message:
The Knicks and Melo are no longer a fit. It was a failure and it’s time to move on.
“We’ve not been able to win with him on the court at this time. I think the direction with our team is that he is a player that would be better off somewhere else and using his talents somewhere where he can win or chase that championship,” Jackson said. “Right now we need players that are really active, can play every single play defensively and offensively. That’s really important for us. We’re starting to get some players on the court we can do that. That’s the direction we have to go.”
Anthony responded pretty quickly on Instagram, posting a picture of a calm Leonardo DiCaprio from “The Great Gatsby” with a caption of “REALLY” and emojis suggesting Anthony was laughing out loud. It seemed like another subliminal shot at Jackson – as if to say, “He had the audacity to say that” — and the post was liked by Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, Dwyane Wade and famous Phil-hater LeBron James.
Still, Jackson said his rift with Anthony this season was based on misunderstandings. He specifically referenced the back-andforth regarding his comments to CBS suggesting Anthony holds the ball too long.
“I’ve never criticized Carmelo – ever criticized Carmelo,” Jackson said. “That’s all supposition by papers or whatever. Speculation by opinionated people. Holding the ball is not a criticism. That’s what he does. That’s pure fact. A person better be able to take that if they’re going to be coached or else you can’t be part of this organization. That’s simply matter of fact. If you’re a basketball player you gotta be able to be coached.”
Still, the Knicks’ desire to unload Anthony doesn’t mean it’ll happen. There’s still the no-trade clause, and the market for Anthony will have to be determined. Jackson hopes the latter will be cleared up after the playoffs, but he’s probably going to discover that the offers are fairly weak.
Anthony is 32 years old, he can limit the options because of the no-trade clause, and everybody knows the Knicks are desperate to unload him. Jackson can hope the Clippers, Wizards, Cavs and Celtics bomb in the playoffs to become equally desperate and stimulate a bidding war.
“I don’t know (the market for Carmelo). 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,’” Jackson said. “We had teams that were interested in making the chase (at the trade deadline). 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 the year. So we said no. We’re not going to make that offer.”
Whatever happens, the clearest picture is that Jackson has no further use for Anthony after signing him to a five-year, $124 million deal in 2014.
“I can’t regret it,” Jackson said. “I can’t go back and regret that. Obviously, it hasn’t worked out. This partnership together, somehow or the other didn’t click here with this team. But he has done his role and played his role quite well.”