Carmelo suggests fans 'come play' if they want Knicks to tank

With qualifying for the NBA playoffs no longer an obtainable goal, the New York Knicks essentially have nothing left to play for as they close out this final stretch of the 2016-17 regular season.

Only a handful of games remain, forcing some fans of the franchise to look at the big picture, Every loss from here on out improves the Knicks' odds of landing one of the higher draft picks, and in what's viewed as one of the deepest classes in recent memory, that may be the best course of action.

Then again, Carmelo Anthony wouldn't be on board with tanking the final eight outings, so if that's what Knicks supporters want the team to do, the 10-time All-Star wouldn't mind if they stepped in and did it themselves.

"They can come play," Anthony suggested following New York's convincing 109-95 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden Monday night, according to ESPN's Ian Begley.

Related - Carmelo: Knicks' 4th straight losing season more difficult than past years

By beating Detroit, New York's record improved to 28-46 on the season, leaving the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Brooklyn Nets as the only teams in the Eastern Conference behind them in the standings. The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers also have worse winning percentages out West.

Anthony scored 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting in 35 minutes of action Monday. He also grabbed three rebounds and stole the ball three times from a Pistons squad that's now dropped four in a row and seven of their last eight.