NBA: Carmelo Anthony looks forward to exit meeting with Jackson
New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony (7). AP
Another year has ended in yet another disappointing season for the New York Knicks.
Apart from the constant losing, the storied franchise has been marred by off-court turmoil between the team’s best player Carmelo Anthony and team President Phil Jackson.
With the regular season ending next week, Anthony expressed his intention to clear the air with the Knick executive during their end-of-season meeting.
“The chips will be on the table in that meeting,” Anthony revealed to ESPN on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).
Prior to the trade deadline, Anthony’s name had been all over trade rumors, despite owning a “no-trade” clause in his contract.
His deteriorating relationship with Jackson stemmed from his refusal to abide by the former coach’s patented triangle offense. The matter escalated further after the 71-year-old wrote subtle shots on Twitter, presumed to be referring to his disgruntled star.
Bleacher’s Ding almost rings the bell, but I learned you don’t change the spot on a leopard with Michael Graham in my CBA daze.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 7, 2017
Although he never fired back to Jackson’s criticism publicly, the 10-time All-Star opened up about the possibility of leaving New York, claiming he sees “the writing on the wall.”
“The time I’m out there on the court, I’m going to play basketball. It’s the game I’ve always had fun and enjoyed,” he said. “Although it hasn’t been as fun as I would’ve wanted it to be. Try to find the joy in playing the game again.”
For the fourth straight year, the Knicks (29-48) are once again out of playoff contention.
Aside from Anthony, the team will also deal with declining superstar and free agent Derrick Rose, who suffered yet another season-ending surgery. Khristian Ibarrola /ra
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