New York Knicks told Phil Jackson he didn’t have to re-sign Carmelo Anthony

New York Knicks owner James Dolan has essentially washed his hands of any front office moves, leaving those decisions to president of basketball operations Phil Jackson.

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Of course, from time to time Dolan will pop his head in and give Jackson a helping hand and reportedly informed the legendary NBA coach that he didn’t have to re-sign Carmelo Anthony during the most recent offseason.

Anthony of course decided to engage in a free agent tour with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets before eventually deciding to re-sign with the Knicks. Though if Phil Jackson wasn’t a fan or thought Carmelo Anthony’s asking price as too high, he was free to move on.

On Phil Jackson's authority: Jax says Dolan told him he didn't have to re-sign Carmelo this summer if he didn't think it was the right move.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 13, 2014

While Carmelo Anthony is no prime version of Kobe Bryant, it’s hard to imagine the New York Knicks without Melo given his All-Star status. Had Phil Jackson decided the New York Knicks were going to move on, what would they have done? Yes the team would have a significant amount of upcoming cap space though free agency hasn’t exactly been kind to them in the past. Also without Carmelo Anthony the only thing attractive about the Knicks franchise for potential free agents would be the locale, though it remains to be seen if being in the Big Apple is enough to lure potential free agent prospects.

At the end of the day Phil Jackson felt the New York Knicks were a better team with Carmelo Anthony than without (obvious) and felt he would be a good addition to the triangle offense. We’ll see if he made the correct decision over the course of the next few years.

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