Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan since Carmelo Anthony signed that mammoth five-year, $124 million contract with the Knicks a couple of summers ago. They won a franchise-worst 17 games last season, and they struck out on all the big-name free agents on the market this summer. At least one of those stars – LaMarcus Aldridge – was miffed about the way the front office handled his courtship, which raises even more questions about Phil Jackson’s competence as an executive.
It didn’t help that Jackson only made a few nominal upgrades to the roster this summer by adding Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo, which certainly doesn’t catapult them back into contention and at worst guarantees them a trip back to the lottery next summer. Jackson’s been preaching patience and “the process” during his already-tumultuous tenure in New York, but many have wondered aloud just how many more years of ‘Me7o’s prime he can afford to waste before something’s gotta give.
The 31-year-old Anthony has an early-termination clause built into his contract after his fourth year, but 2018 is a long way away. History has shown that Anthony forced his way out of Denver to arrive in New York in the first place, so is a similar scenario possible with the Knicks? Not according to Anthony, at least. Via Al Iannazzone of Newsday Sports:
Carmelo said he's bought into Phil's vision and "hell no" when asked if he would get to a point when he'd ask for a trade.
— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) October 5, 2015
To be certain, that’s the only possible answer he could’ve given. Anything else would have set off a PR sh*tstorm that would’ve made day-to-day life a living hell for the already-embattled Knicks. And in fairness to Anthony, that might very well be true at the moment, but it could be a very different story after another season or two at the bottom of the Eastern Conference trash heap.
