New York Knicks’ president Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony’s relationship has been frosty to say the least.
Jackson went on Twitter on Feb. 7 to continue his assault on his star forward saying, “you don’t change the spots on the leopard” in regards to his agreement with a Bleacher Report writer who posted a column questioning Anthony’s will to win.
While the Anthony trade rumors continue to fly, it seems less and less likely that Melo will be playing in a Knicks uniform after the Feb. 23 trade deadline. He has been linked to rumors that have him being sent to the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers among others.
Many have disagreed with the way that Jackson has been going about his attempt to get Anthony to waive his no-trade clause, with analysts and agents’ alike saying that they believe Jackson is actually hurting Melo’s value.
Many believe the Knicks’ plan is to continue their rebuilding process around Kristaps Porzingis and Willie Hernangomez while spending money in free agency. But many prominent agents came out against Jackson’s actions, saying they believe his actions would “turn off” their clients to the Knicks.
But Porzingis has not played well of late, only scoring 15 points per game on 38 percent shooting, leading many to believe that the stress of Jackson’s antics is weighing on him. Porzingis has come out in favor of Melo staying in New York, saying “he’s been a great leader for me” to the New York Post on Jan. 28.
“He’s been a great example for me. I’ve been blessed to be able to work with him day-to-day, learn from him, talk to him, be friends with him,” Porzingis added. “Obviously it would be really tough for us to lose him. That’s it.”
It’s fair to say that Jackson’s back channel insults are doing more to convince Anthony to stay, not the other way around. Melo loves New York, and it might be safe to say that if he stays through this season, he may end up outlasting Jackson in New York.
Jackson’s denial that his triangle offense is outdated go right along with the Knicks’ failures this season. After firing his coach of choice to run his offense of choice, Jackson failed to give his new coach, Jeff Hornacek any chance to win and has made it much harder on him by creating the interior drama the team now faces.
While Jackson’s ultimate goal is to win a championship, he has ended up hurting the team, and his star player, more than he could have imagined.
