New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony Clarifies Phil Jackson Issue

Why was Carmelo Anthony so shocked by Phil Jackson going public with his constructive criticism? The New York Knicks star clarified.

The divide between a front office and the players has been an ever-present issue in the world of professional sports. Those who manage to keep it behind close doors and maintain a strong working relationship, however, tend to fare better than those at odds.

Unfortunately, the New York Knicks have an unnecessary, “Black cloud,” hanging over their heads thanks to an issue between Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson.

Jackson recently critiqued Anthony’s game on the CBS Sports Network, stating that he has a tendency to hold the ball for too long, but is moving past it. Anthony hasn’t seen the video, but doesn’t understand why The Zen Master would make criticizing comments on a public forum.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Anthony has been consistently communicative with Jackson, which is why he was shocked to hear Jackson spoke about him publicly.

"“I just feel if it was something he wanted to address and had a stance on something, the door has always been open both ways,” Anthony told reporters Friday after the Knicks’ shootaround in Sacramento, California. “He always sends me a text or talks to me if it was any type of problem that was going on. I always welcome the conversation with open arms.”“If it was something good he had talked about, we talked about it. If it was something we could do better, I could do better, we talked about that. It’s always been good conversation when we talked. I don’t know what’s going on.”"

Based on Anthony’s description of his relationship with Jackson, one can see why he was taken aback.

It’s worth noting that Anthony added that he doesn’t know when the comments were made or what was said. Thus, it’s entirely possible that his exposure to the comments consisted of the manufactured quotes that accused Jackson of calling Anthony a ball hog.

For those who would like to formulate an opinion of their own, here’s the full video of Jackson’s appearance on We Need To Talk:

Regardless of whose side you take, one thing is clear: despite major media outlets placing it in quotation marks, Jackson never said, “Ball hog.”

Anthony responded to adversity by putting forth a brilliant effort in the Knicks’ 103-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings. He posted a game-high 33 points and added seven rebounds, four assists, one block, and a steal in a brilliant all-around performance.

One can only hope that Anthony’s strong showing was a sign that he’s found a way to move on from this unnecessary issue.

A 33-point performance in a win will silence most critics.

The Knicks have four games remaining on a five-game road trip, which leads one to hope that focus can shift to where it needs to be. New York is 13-10, but if it loses out, it’d be 13-14 and back below .500 before it heads home.

Anthony needs to be able to maintain his focus, which makes it as much of the media’s issue as it is his own to move on from this story.

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Most of all, one can only hope that Jackson will speak with Anthony directly to clear the air.