Kristaps Porzingis Thinks Knicks Fans Should Show Carmelo Anthony ‘Love’ In His Return To New York


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After suffering through years of an unhealthy working relationship, the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony finally separated in September when Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. While Anthony’s time in Oklahoma City with Russell Westbrook and Paul George hasn’t quite produced the next NBA super team they had hoped for, the drama that came with New York largely stayed in New York.

The Thunder will be in New York on Saturday to play the Knicks, marking Anthony’s first time playing at Madison Square Garden since he was shipped out, leaving NBA fans in New York and beyond curious about the kind of reception he’ll receive in his NYC return.

Anthony’s tenure in New York was complicated, to say the least. It’s hard to classify Melo’s time as a Knick as anything other than a failure, but the next question is, how much of that failure was Carmelo Anthony’s fault? Universally-hated James Dolan is still the owner, after all, and while Phil Jackson is no longer in the Knicks’ front office, he certainly contributed towards their dysfunction and failure.

Will Knicks fan boo Anthony in his return? Will Knicks fans genuinely cheer Anthony? Will Knicks fans cheer Anthony just because the alternative might make James Dolan feel like the hero? Nothing is off the table.


Knicks star and resident unicorn Kristaps Porzingis has always been a Carmelo Anthony defender, so when ESPN’s Ian Begley asked him about Melo’s homecoming, his positive response shouldn’t surprise anyone.

“I think he was as professional as he can be in his time here in New York,” Kristaps said. “So I don’t see why they would not receive him with love.”

A certain segment of Knicks fans might disagree with Porzingis here, but we know exactly where Kristaps is coming from. Porzingis had a similar clash with Jackson that Anthony had, so when it comes to the blame game, Porzingis is placing it squarely on Jackson’s shoulders.

Porzingis was also asked if he thought that Anthony was holding the team back over the last several years, citing the fact that the Knicks are surprisingly average now that he’s out of New York.

“Not at all. He was here for a long time. For him, it was also hard,” Porzingis said. “He was trying to do the right things to win, but it was just not clicking. It was not the right pieces around him to make that happen.”

Unfortunately for Porzingis, he’s listed as day-to-day after suffering a knee injury against the Brooklyn Nets, so he might miss Anthony’s return altogether, but that won’t take away from the intrigue heading into Saturday night.

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