Just when you thought the drama in New York couldn’t possibly get any worse, the Knicks managed to discover a whole other subterraneous level. The acrimonious relationship between Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony continued to play itself out on Friday when the embattled team president said publicly that his franchise star would probably be better off elsewhere, which prompted ‘Melo to post this cheeky response on Instagram.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Ian Begley of ESPN is now reporting that budding superstar Kristaps Porzingis has grown so aggravated at the situation that he didn’t even show up to his exit interviews.
Kristaps Porzingis skipped exit meetings due to frustration over dysfunction, drama surrounding NYK, team sources told ESPN. Story coming.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 15, 2017
After a remarkable rookie campaign, Porzingis’ growth has been somewhat stunted this season as the team has tried to navigate new personnel and an increasingly anachronistic style of play, both of which have categorically failed to live up to expectations or produce any measure of success.
It’d be extremely surprising if Anthony is still in a Knicks uniform next season, but that’d be contingent on whether he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause, which is apparently an option he’s now considering if it will offer him an opportunity to join a contender.
Moving Anthony would ostensibly make room to build around Porzingis as the franchise cornerstone, but if the talented Latvian center is already this unhappy with the direction of the organization, then the Knicks are in even more trouble than they thought.
