Melo: If my time in N.Y. is over, then Phil Jackson and I should talk
Carmelo Anthony is sick and tired of playing broken telephone through the media with New York Knicks president Phil Jackson.
The Zen Master, through close confidant Charley Rosen of Fanrag.com, has hinted at a Knicks future without their 32-year-old star gunner. The most recent dispatch hinted that Anthony would only waive his no-trade clause for a move to Cleveland or Los Angeles.
Following another harrowing loss on Sunday, Anthony calmly told reporters that he was tired of hearing his name through back channels and called for a meeting with Jackson over his future in New York.
"If that's the case, if that's what's coming from that side, I guess it's a conversation that we should have. If they feel like my time in NY is over, I guess that's a conversation we should have," Anthony told reporters, including theScore's Joseph Casciaro.
Reporters clarified that the latest reports came from Rosen instead of Jackson himself, but that was all the same to Anthony.
"Listen, if that's what they feel, if that's what's coming from that side, then that's what's coming from that side. I haven't thought once about that, to be honest with you. I hear all the rhetoric that's going on out there, and I still come to work every day and play and bust my ass.
"When we lose it's me, when we win it's us."
Rosen's latest column, often the conduit of Jackson's message, slammed Anthony for his decline in athleticism, propensity to break the offense, and for his lack of defensive acumen.
Here's an excerpt:
Carmelo Anthony’s legs are going, going, almost gone. As ever, he's still a dangerous scorer but resists any offensive game plan that limits his 1-on-1 adventures. Moreover, his sticky fingers causes whatever ball-and-player movement is in effect to come to a grinding stop.
Since Melo has been mostly shooting blanks in the clutch - he was scoreless in the fourth quarter last night - i's really a dead stop.
Also, while he's never been accused of playing defense, Anthony is intent on saving even more steps on this end of the game to conserve his energy for offense. ...
The only sure thing is that Carmelo Anthony has outlived his usefulness in New York.
Anthony is in his seventh season with the Knicks. Although he remains super talented, New York hasn't sniffed the playoffs since 2013. Jackson retooled the roster around Anthony last summer, but the pieces have become unglued with the Knicks dropping out of the playoff picture after losing 10 of their last 12.