The Knicks are almost certainly going to part ways with Carmelo Anthony this summer, and one person who knows a thing or two about playing in New York believes that will be a blessing for the aging superstar.
In a brief chat with TMZ on Tuesday, Charles Oakley said he thinks Anthony has plenty of good basketball ahead of him but needs to get out of The Big Apple.
“I think he’s got a lot left. I think he just needs to get out of New York,” Oakley said. “… He just needs a change. This city, there’s just so much going on with management. He deserves better, but you’ve got to speak up for yourself.”
Of course, Oakley’s opinion is extremely biased. That “management” that he speaks of is the same group that infamously kicked him out of a game at Madison Square Garden back in February, and Oakley said recently that he is still not over his issues with Knicks owner James Dolan.
That doesn’t mean he’s wrong about Anthony. Phil Jackson clearly wants Anthony gone, and the Knicks are nowhere close to giving Carmelo a shot to win his first NBA championship. Oakley mentioned two other teams that could be.
“I think he needs to go somewhere to a team that’s on the bubble or a team that needs a scorer like OKC or the Clippers,” Oakley said. “There’s a lot of teams that could use him.”
There are reportedly several teams that are interested in Anthony, but his contract could be an issue. The Knicks may have to get creative to find a way to move him, but it would be very surprising if it didn’t happen.
