Carmelo Anthony was booed by New York Knicks fans after badly air-balling a couple of shots early in his team’s win over the Chicago Bulls Thursday night. With the Knicks having won just two of their last 11 games and not looking like a playoff team, many are wondering if Anthony is finally ready to leave town.
It doesn’t sound like it.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders cited a source close to Anthony earlier this week who said Carmelo is “unwilling to green-light a trade out of New York” even with how miserable the team has looked as of late. For what it’s worth, that report came before Anthony was booed by his own fans and looked annoyed. Here’s a video:
Carmelo Anthony throws up second airball, reacts to getting booed by Madison Square Garden fans https://t.co/t3USabpcNv
— #GonzoForLonzo (@World_Wide_Wob) January 13, 2017
Anthony finished Thursday’s game with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting. He recently said he has been playing through a “bad” shoulder injury, so that could be why some of his shots were so far off the mark.
Before the Knicks hosted the Bulls, Anthony’s good friend Dwyane Wade told Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News that he does not believe ‘Melo wants to be traded to a championship contender.
“He loves it here. He loves being here. His family loves it here. And he wants to win here,” Wade said. “He’s going to be here as long as they want him here — win, lose or draw.”
Things can change, but the Knicks were probably in worse shape last season when Anthony made these remarks about a potential trade. Although he is 32 and has not won a championship, Anthony obviously likes it in New York. That could have more to do with lifestyle and marketing opportunities than basketball, but at the end of the day the Knicks can only move him if he signs off on it.
