J-Speaks: The Knicks And Their Star Player Have Issues

After their 118-112 win at the Los Angeles Lakers (15-31) on Dec. 11, 2016 brought their record to 14-10, the New York Knicks (18-24) were sitting pretty in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Since then they have lost 14 of their last 18 games and it seems the issues are more than their lackluster play at the defensive end. Team president Phil Jackson made a comment that those close associated with Cleveland Cavaliers’ four-time MVP LeBron James calling them a posse. Then nine days ago starting lead guard Derrick Rose disappears to take care of a family issue back in Chicago, prior to the Knicks contest versus the New Orleans Pelicans, which they lost 110-96. As if things could not get any worse, now the Knicks’ star Carmelo Anthony is having issues himself with the team, specifically with president Phil Jackson.

Just a few days ago, a close associate of Jackson’s Charley Rosen wrote a critical column about Anthony.

The perennial All-Star made some very public comments expressing his disappointment about that critical column being made public and said as much on Sunday after the Knicks 116-101 loss at the Toronto Raptors (28-13).

“If that’s the case, if that’s where it’s come from, that side, I guess it’s a conversation we should have,” Anthony said. “If they feel my time in New York is over, I guess that’s a conversation we should have.”

Jackson nor Knicks’ general manager Steve Mills addressed the situation on Monday after the team’s 108-107 loss on MLK Day versus the Atlanta Hawks (24-17).

Anthony and Jackson did meet on Tuesday and Jackson asked the star forward if he would like to remain with the team, a source close to the situation said to ESPN.

That same source said that Anthony in that meeting affirmed to Jackson that his desire is to remain in NYC and help to turn the Knicks into a title contender and he made that very clear early on Wednesday with the press before the Knicks evening tilt at the Boston Celtics.

“I’m committed. Like I told you all the other night. I don’t have to prove that to anybody,” Anthony said. “I don’t think I have to keep saying that. I don’ think I have to keep talking about that. I know for a fact people know that. People see that and right now my focus is playing basketball and staying with these guys because a lot of these guys never dealt with all this stuff before, especially being in a market like New York…For me, it’s all about being there more so than ever right now during this time for them.”

Getting back to that meeting between Anthony and Jackson, one source described the meeting as contentious, but later modified their description of the event by saying it was more substantive than previous sit-downs between the two.

While no possibility of trading the star forward came up in the discussion, both sides left the meeting to take time to process the current state of the situation and wait for answer from Anthony on whether he wants to stay in the “Big Apple” or waive the no-trade clause in his contract and be dealt elsewhere.

The situation is now in the hands of Anthony. He has to decide between now and the February trade deadline what he wants to do. Does he want to stay in the “Big Apple” and help turn things around or will he waive his no trade clause and have the team find the best possible team to move him to and try to get the best compensation for him.

To bring this entire situation back to what really is at the heart of all of this is the fact that the Knicks have again been on the losing end of things in recent weeks. If they were playing well and winning games, this is not even a topic of discussion.

When you are not producing victories at the level of the talent of the Knicks’ roster, things like this come to the light.

It is hard to fathom that a team with Anthony, Rose, Joakim Noah, Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings is playing like they have been since being four games above .500 in early December 2016.

A lot of people in the media world have expressed their opinion of the Knicks situation and what they should do, particularly about Anthony.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on Wednesday morning’s edition of “First Take,” that Jackson will convince Anthony to waive that no-trade clause and that either before the February trading deadline or this summer that Anthony will no longer be a Knick.

“Possibly by next month; definitely by this summer,” Smith said. “This is it for Melo and it should be. I’m hoping that Phil Jackson has talked some sense into Melo to waive that no-trade clause. Get the hell out of New York because Phil is a problem. Phil is not a solution. The 11-time championship coach is nowhere to be found as an executive…Phil Jackson needs to go back to L.A. where he really, really wants to be and call it a day and Melo needs to move on because the New York Knicks clearly don’t have a championship in their immediate future.”

ESPN’s Amin Elhassan, who frequently appears on ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump,” hosted by Rachel Nichols weekdays on ESPN 2 said on “Sportscenter Coast-to-Coast” on Wednesday afternoon to Cari Champion said about the situation in New York that while there is a lot you can say about Anthony from how he shoots more than he passes or his lackluster effort at times defensively, Jackson is hiding in his “ivory tower” and not taking any of the heat for where the Knicks find themselves.

“Carmelo never has said, ‘Get me out of here.’ Carmelo never said, ‘You guys better get me some more help here or anything.’ He showed up to work, regardless of how you want to criticize how he plays, he’s a professional every single day. Meanwhile the people running the team not so much,” Elhassan said.

What will help the Knicks cause now is a nice winning streak that will put the focus back on the court and not the divisive issues the team is dealing with off the court. They have a chance to do that tonight when they face their Atlantic Division rival the Boston Celtics (26-15) on Wednesday night.

“As players and as coaches, you got just kind of ignore all of that stuff and stay together as a team and go out there and focus on the game,” Knicks’ head coach Jeff Hornacek said to early Wednesday. “We’ve had a lot of close games lately. We haven’t pulled any of them out. But all it takes is one good win like that could turn it all around.”  

Information, statistics and quotations courtesy of 1/18/17 www.espn.com article “Sources: Phil Jackson Meets With Carmelo Anthony, Asks Star If He Want to Stay With Knicks,” by Senior Writer Ramona Shelburne; www.espn.com/nba/standings; www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/ny/new-york-knicks and www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/ny/new-york-knicks.