New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors Hurt Team Says Brandon Jennings

Former New York Knicks point guard Brandon Jennings believes part of the struggles this season could be based on the constant Carmelo Anthony trade rumors.

The New York Knicks have had a difficult 2016-17 season. The team fell woefully short of the expectations set at the beginning of the season. Not only has the product been poor on the court, they have been mired in off-court drama and distractions as well.

There are a number of reasons that can be attributed to the Knicks struggles this season. Phil Jackson‘s moves in the offseason did not pan out. Derrick Rose showed promise at times, but was unable to put it all together in the triangle offense and was a sieve defensively.

Jackson’s other big move, signing Joakim Noah, has been a disaster. Noah was injured constantly, limiting his impact on the court. In addition, Noah was suspended for 20-game for violating the league’s drug policy.

Off the court, the Knicks found themselves in the news too often for the wrong reason. Rose’s bizarre incident went he went AWOL was the first. Jackson constantly taking public shots at Carmelo Anthony was also cause for concern. Those shots and the trade drama surrounding Anthony was a big reason for the poor season according to Brandon Jennings.

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Jennings was signed to be the backup point guard for the Knicks the last offseason. While he struggled with his shot at times and on defense, Jennings brought it every game. He is a gamer and the type of player anyone would want on their team; all he cares about is winning basketball games.

Winning was not happening with the Knicks, and Jennings believes the trade drama surrounding Anthony played a part in that, taking a toll on the whole team.

"“It definitely took a toll, I think, on the team. Because it wasn’t even about basketball anymore, it was more about what was going on with Melo,” Jennings said, adding that it was one of the wildest situations he has been in during his eight seasons in the league."

Jennings is not the first person to speak out about the Anthony situation. Agents and players alike took notice, as many people were turned off by Jackson’s treatment of Anthony. Former Knicks great Bernard King spoke about the lack of a supporting cast Anthony has had around him with the Knicks.

There have been a number of people that have spoken out in support of Anthony. Scottie Pippen, an NBA Final winner under Jackson, backed Anthony recently and said that Jackson should be removed from his role with the Knicks.

Jennings has also sided with Anthony, saying what he had to deal with wasn’t fair.

"“I think it was just a roller coaster, an emotional roller coaster for him this year with everything he had to deal with, which isn’t fair,” Jennings said. “For a player to wake up every day and you’re hearing trade rumors and you might be gone and this and that. It was like a two-week span where everybody was hitting your phone, (reading reports) about Melo leaving.”"

Jackson has not made it a secret that he wants to trade Anthony. That would be an easier task had Jackson not given Anthony a full no-trade clause and a 15 percent trade kicker. With all of those things, Anthony ultimately holds all of the power in this situation.

A resolution has to come this offseason. The Knicks cannot go into 2017-18 with both Anthony and Jackson still a part of the franchise as we saw this season that it will erode the team. Trading Anthony will be difficult as the options will be limited; firing Jackson would be easier.

But, James Dolan has said that he will honor his contract with Jackson. That makes it seem that he will be here for the long haul. As much as Anthony does not want to give in to Jackson, it may be in his best interest to accept a trade this offseason.

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If Anthony truly wants a chance to win, he is better off finding it elsewhere. The Knicks are not close to being a contending team. They are truly in the early stages of a rebuild, as they will look to add another young piece to the roster in the 2017 NBA Draf to go along with power forward Kristaps Porzingis.

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