Carmelo Anthony has stuck by the New York Knicks through thick and thin, but the 2017 NBA trade deadline may have been the straw that broke Anthony’s back.
Thursday came and went without the Knicks making a single move to help Anthony finally reach towards his goal of making a miracle run to the playoffs, or at least plot a course for success in the future. It also left Anthony struggling to get what is happening in the Knicks’ front office these days.
According an ESPN report, Anthony had the following to say about the direction of the team…or lack thereof:
“No, not now. No, to be honest with you,” Anthony said late Thursday night. “I think they were kind of planning on the trade deadline, whether they were trying to make moves. I think that was one plan. Now they’ve got to get back to the drawing board and come up with another plan about the future of this team.”
ESPN also noted that a deal that would’ve brought Ricky Rubio to the Knicks for Derrick Rose was eventually shot down by the Minnesota Timberwolves. There was also talks with the Los Angeles Clippers, but nothing serious ever came of either set of talks.
It left Melo frustrated and clueless about what is going on, feelings he doesn’t like but also knows he’s not alone in feeling.
“Yeah, I mean, nobody likes to be in limbo,” Anthony said. “We all want to know kind of what’s going on, especially when it’s involving you. But that’s not the way it is in sports. I don’t think I’m the only one that’s going through that or feeling that way. I think there’s other players who feel the same way, that they want to be involved — not involved, but at least up to date with what’s going on. I feel like I’m kind of up to date as far as when it comes to me what’s going on.”
Anthony can’t be all that surprised by now, considering he has spent the better part of the last seven years as a member of the NBA’s most dysfunctional franchise. I mean, he has seen five head coaches, multiple front office flops, and an owner who is more worried about a feud with an old Knicks legend than actually getting his current roster to make a playoff push.
That dysfunction has long been a frustration of Melo’s, but he has never pushed through a trade or anything to get him out of the Big Apple in all of that time. Instead, he took all the money available and stayed with the Knicks when he could have bolted.
To be fair, the Knicks have also stuck by Anthony despite many calling him a “selfish” player and one that is hard to play with as a teammate. He could’ve been dealt in an effort to completely rebuild or could’ve demanded a trade to get the ring most at the age of 32 would be chasing.
None of that has happened for Melo or the Knicks, though. Instead, owner James Dolan has thrown the kitchen sink of old NBA names at the problem. Even the great “zenmaster” Phil Jackson hasn’t been able to fix the mess that is the Knicks on or off the court.
So, it shouldn’t be surprising that perhaps the most clueless franchise in today’s NBA has its star player shaking his head in wonder and going full Vince Lombardi on the front office:
[ESPN]
