Carmelo Anthony and New York Knicks president Phil Jackson finally had a sit-down meeting on Tuesday, and it sure doesn’t sound like they accomplished much.
Anthony told reporters Wednesday that he is no longer concerned with what the team’s management thinks of him and has instead shifted his focus to his teammates and the court. Marc Berman of the New York Posts described some of Anthony’s responses to questions about the meeting as “cryptic.” When asked if he feels he and Jackson are on the same page, Carmelo said a lot without saying much at all.
“We converse when we converse, we talk when we talk,” he replied. “I’ll leave it at that.”
The Knicks have won just two of their last 11 games, but the attention has been more on Anthony’s rift with Jackson than on the team’s struggles. He’s unsure of why that is the case, and he insists he is done worrying about it.
“I’m done asking why,” Anthony said. “My focus is playing ball at this point. My focus is these guys. That’s all I care about at this point. Making sure these guys stay strong and positive and have their head on right and not be a distraction to them.
“I’m committed [to the Knicks]. I don’t have to prove that to anybody. I don’t have to keep saying that and keep talking about it. I know for a fact people know that and people see that.”
Anthony also admitted that he is glad he has a no-trade clause, as he realizes he may have already been dealt by now if not for that. He also conceded that he has grown “tired” of being in the spotlight and taking criticism between George Karl’s book and comments made by Jackson and Jackson’s friend Charley Rosen. Though, Carmelo hinted that the recent article Rosen wrote is much more of an issue.
“That situation (Karl’s book), we knew what that was about, trying to sell something,” he said. “This situation (Rosen’s article), you have to pay closer attention. You have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis. But I’m good.”
Rosen, of course, is the longtime Jackson confidant who recently bashed Anthony in a column. Many, Carmelo included, feel some of what Rosen wrote came from Jackson himself.
Some of the details we heard about Jackson’s meeting with Anthony made it seem like Carmelo is on borrowed time in The Big Apple. He has a no-trade clause and says he wants to stay with the Knicks, but you have to wonder if and when he will change his mind.
