New York Knicks may tank if they lose Carmelo Anthony
By Josh Hill
The New York Knicks have a dramatic offseason ahead of them as they need to find a way to retain Carmelo Anthony and convince him to stay in New York long term. As it’s starting to turn out, the chances the Knicks bring back Melo without him opting out is very unlikely and if he hits the open market he may never come back.
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Phil Jackson and the Knicks need to start very seriously considering the possibility that Melo is gone for good, and they need a game plan for what happens if he leaves. One thing they could do is go big on a free agent and rebuild with him, but Moke Hamilton from Basketball Insiders thinks that the Knicks will tank if they lose Melo.
No way. They’d tank. MT @bbhkf78: If Melo leaves, and the #Knicks do a S&T for Melo, do you think the Knicks make the playoffs next season?
— Moke Hamilton (@MokeHamilton) June 15, 2014
Tanking seems like a brilliant option for the Knicks, even if it’s the least ethical thing to do. Having Jackson in charge is a perfect disguise for tanking as it seems so beneath him but he seems to be willing to do anything he can to win.
If the Knicks tank, they may be able to find a young leader for the future, which means they may end up tanking even if they re-sign Melo long term. Tanking with Melo on a one-year deal is a dumb idea, but we could see the Knicks tank either way as to make sure they stay good for a long time moving forward.