Knicks Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Not Swayed By Phil Jackson’s Tactics
New York Knicks rumors: Phil Jackson took another shot at Carmelo Anthony but it looks to have backfired as Anthony’s stance to stay has only increased.
New York Knicks rumors continue to circulate involving Carmelo Anthony. The rumors are just that, rumors, because Anthony holds all of the power in this situation. With a full no-trade clause, Anthony isn’t going anywhere unless he wants to.
That hasn’t stopped the Knicks front office from trying. With orders from President Phil Jackson, the Knicks front office has been working the phones on potential trades for Anthony. Jackson is reportedly determined to move Anthony by the February 23rd NBA Trade Deadline.
But, Jackson has very little leverage in moving Anthony. Not only does he have the no-trade clause, he has a 15 percent trade kicker that will pay him over $9 million just by being traded. Keep in mind these are both things Jackson agreed to put in Anthony’s contract, so there is no one to blame for the difficulty in moving Anthony than Jackson himself.
As a result, Jackson has stooped to different tactics to try and force Anthony’s hand. There have been numerous articles written about Anthony, all with negative tones. Former Jackson assistant Charley Rosen write a scathing piece on Anthony saying he has worn out his usefulness in New York.
Most recently, Jackson felt the need to comment on a post by Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Jackson took to Twitter to take another shot at Anthony.
Bleacher's Ding almost rings the bell, but I learned you don't change the spot on a leopard with Michael Graham in my CBA daze.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 7, 2017
At this point, no one would blame Anthony for washing his hands of Jackson and the Knicks and waiving his no-trade clause. That is probably what Jackson is hoping for, as he needs Anthony to agree to a trade. Most people would have been out after the first shot Jackson took.
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But, Anthony is sticking to his guns. It sounds that Jackson’s attempts to push him out have backfired. Anthony is doubling down on his stance to remain with the Knicks according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Anthony’s willingness to stay with the Knicks is strengthening with every shot that Jackson takes at him.
According to The Score, Anthony has told teammates that he is unwilling to allow Jackson to force him out of New York. Wojnarowski’s sources also told him that Jackson has misjudged Anthony’s willingness to stay with the team.
Wojnarowski also notes that Jackson has yet to sit down with Anthony and his representatives to discuss their preference to trade Anthony. Instead, Jackson continues to take pot shots at Anthony and launch salvos at him as a player.
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This is a bad look for Jackson. He continues to try playing games with Anthony and is losing in worse fashion than the Knicks did against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. The relationship may be too far gone at this point, but Jackson needs to try and reconcile with Anthony for the good of the franchise and the team on the court.