Knicks: Carmelo Anthony Meets with Phil Jackson
Carmelo Anthony is well-aware of how important the upcoming period of NBA free agency will be for the New York Knicks. He let Phil Jackson know in a recent meeting between the two.
When the New York Knicks traded for Carmelo Anthony in 2011, they mortgaged the organization on his being able to lead the team to the promise land. The Knicks dealt Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, and Timofey Mozgov, amongst other key assets, in exchange for Anthony and an aging Chauncey Billups.
The results have been less than ideal, but Anthony has changed his game to fit what New York needs for a championship run.
He’s now looking at the organization to return the favor.
New York didn’t achieve as much as it had hoped to during the summer of 2015, but it still landed two critical building blocks. Kristaps Porzingis projects to be the next franchise player, and Robin Lopez is thriving as the starting center.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Anthony is well-aware of how important it is for the Knicks to complement their high-caliber front court with an ideal level of perimeter aid.
"“It’s in their court. The ball is in their court,” Anthony said. “They have an opportunity, we have an opportunity to do something this offseason. We gotta do something. It’s there.”“It’s kind of an even playing field, so you’ve just got to hit the ground running,” Anthony said."
There’s no disputing Anthony’s point.
According to NBA.com, the Knicks’ summer acquisitions—€”one via the draft and the other through free agency—€”have helped New York hold opponents to 48.5 percent shooting at the rim. That’s not just a very good mark, but one that ranks No. 1 in the NBA.
Anthony has matched their defensive consistency, playing the best defense of his career as he limits opponents to 39.9 percent shooting from the field.
Unfortunately, the Knicks are lacking the ideal level of production in the backcourt. Arron Afflalo has been solid at the 2, Jose Calderon has been offensively efficient running point, and the trio of Langston Galloway, Jerian Grant, and Tony Wroten all have significant potential behind them.
That group simply hasn’t provided New York with the level of play necessary to thrive in the modern NBA.
Teams may not need an elite point guard to contend for a championship, but they certainly require a player who can hold their own. Calderon has been solid and Grant is flush with potential, but the latter is a rookie, and the former can’t seem to handle the quickness of younger point guards.
With crop of pending free agents that includes point guards Mike Conley and Rajon Rondo, as well as two-time All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, New York has star-caliber options.
The top target will be Kevin Durant, and although he’s a long shot, anything is possible in free agency. Amar’e Stoudemire wasn’t expected to sign in New York, either, but he committed to the team and temporarily rejuvenated the organization.
Regardless of what is and isn’t attainable, Anthony knows that New York needs to swing for the fences and solidify the rotation. The question is, can Phil Jackson deliver the contender that New York has been longing for?
Per Begley, Anthony appears satisfied with The Zen Master’s vision.
"“I thought it was good timing for us to sit down and talk,” he said, adding that Jackson requested the meeting. “… I won’t go into the details of [questions he asked Jackson], but it was just good for me to get it out there, talk about it, get his response, get his feedback, and that was that.”He later added: “I got some answers that I was looking for, and I’ll leave it at that.”"
Anthony and Jackson being on the same page is a positive sign for the future.
For now, the Knicks will be focused on making the playoffs €”an uphill battle, to say the least. New York is 7.0 games back of the No. 8 seed Detroit Pistons, and with just 14 games remaining on the schedule, it must be close to perfect in order to have even the smallest of chances.
In the not so distant future, however, the focus will shift and Carmelo Anthony will ask Phil Jackson to deliver on his promise of making the Knicks contenders again.