The New York Knicks are arriving at a conclusion about Carmelo Anthony we all stumbled upon back in 2015.
When the New York Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis with their first-round selection back in 2015, the Lithuanian was booed on stage. Cut to later in the season when it was clear the big man was a leader in the next generation of NBA stars, and the tune in New York changed from one that trolled Porzingis to one that prioritized him over Carmelo Anthony.
The idea that Porzingis was the future of the Knicks was one that we all arrived at a year ago. That’s what has been so frustrating about watching Phil Jackson twiddle his thumbs when it comes to moving on from Carmelo.
Better late than never, it appears Jackson has woken up from his afternoon nap long enough to try and do the right thing. According to The Vertical, Phil Jackson is actively trying to rid Carmelo from the Knicks roster — confirmation of the worst kept secret in the NBA.
"Knicks president Phil Jackson is determined to find a destination and deal that Anthony would agree to accept before the Feb. 23 NBA trade deadline, league sources said."
The idea that Jackson no longer wants Melo on the roster isn’t a new one. What should stick in the craw of Knicks fans is the fact that Jackson is just now getting around to the idea that Kristaps is the future and Melo is dead weight.
Calling Melo dead weight is aggressive, but there’s literally no other way to put it in this situation. The man running the team doesn’t want him, Melo isn’t improving the team at all and the $54 million investment is financially hurting the tam from building talent around their superstar big man.
Attempts were made to try and manufacture a title contender in New York. Additions of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Brandon Jennings were seen as a last ditch effort to make the Melo Knicks work. So far it hasn’t lived up to the billing, and a total rebuild — one that should have happened years ago — is finally, slowly starting to happen.