Last month reports surfaced that the New York Knicks are ready to trade Carmelo Anthony to rebuild without him, and it seems like that stance remains the same. phil jackson and the Knicks will indeed trade Anthony based on Jackson’s recent comments during exit interviews.
Jackson’s quote on Anthony
“I think the direction with our team is that he would be better off somewhere else,” Jackson said about Anthony.
He also stated that his “partnership” with the 10-time All-Star hasn’t worked out.
With that being said, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Knicks will find a new home for Carmelo Anthony this summer. Although Jackson said that Kristaps Porzingis is not ready to become the face of the franchise, it seems like they are nonetheless ready to slowly rebuild around the 21-year-old Latvian and would likely trade Anthony to a playoff caliber team where he could win.
Apparently, Jackson told Anthony that, “You don’t want to end up your career not winning,” which suggests that the Knicks will ship Carmelo to a winning team, perhaps the Los Angeles Clippers or Cleveland Cavaliers.
Derrick Rose’s future
Jackson also talked about Derrick Rose and his future with the franchise, saying that Rose would love to stay in New York to redeem himself. The former MVP had a solid year with the Knicks, averaging 18 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds on an efficient 47 percent shooting. He was significantly healthy before suffering a torn meniscus in his knee.
Although the 28-year-old was close to being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the deadline, the Knicks would probably keep him now since they will trade Melo. With Anthony out of the picture, Rose and Porzingis may be able to co-exist much better.
Jackson on Jeff Hornacek
Phil Jackson briefly touched on head coach Jeff Hornacek, stating that he is comfortable with him as the coach going forward.
There had been late-season issues with the coach, as players were not connecting with Hornacek, but it seems that Jackson is not concerned about that.
With all that’s happened in a course of a year, it would be ideal for the Knicks to part ways with Anthony. Although Melo has been superb individually since New York acquired him in 2011, the team has been mediocre. They’ve missed the playoffs four consecutive seasons. The furthest they got with Anthony was the second round in 2013 where they lost to the Indiana Pacers. Before that, they made the playoffs twice and lost in the first round.
Anthony might not exactly be the problem to the Knicks’ lack of success, but it would be best for both sides to part ways since the 32-year-old star is aging and would much rather be in a winning situation.