Melo: Thibodeau would've come to Knicks if offered job

Carmelo Anthony said Wednesday that new Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau would have taken the same job with the New York Knicks if it had been offered to him.

"I'm pretty sure he wanted to come (to New York)," Anthony told ESPN's Ian Begley. "He waited a while to see if there was going be an opportunity. It didn't happen. I'm pretty sure if he would've gotten offered the job, he would have took it with no regret. He would have jumped on it."

Thibodeau is known to be close with Anthony from their time together with USA Basketball. The highly regarded 58-year-old coach recently signed a reported five-year, $40-million deal with the Timberwolves after taking a year away from the NBA. He was fired by the Chicago Bulls in 2015.

Related: Carmelo reportedly prefers Thibodeau to coach Knicks

The Knicks, meanwhile, continue to show slow movement in deciding on their next head coach. The team reportedly interviewed David Blatt this week, while speculation also swirls around Luke Walton or retaining interim bench boss Kurt Rambis.

Anthony said Thursday he wants to be included in the discussion of who the next coach will be, but added he hasn't spoken to team president Phil Jackson about the matter.

"Not yet, I mean we've talked briefly, but not yet," Anthony said on The Dan Patrick Show. The franchise forward, who turns 32 next month, also stressed he wants to retire as a Knick.

"That's my goal," he said, adding Jackson's triangle offense is not something that deserves to be maligned in the modern-day NBA.