Carmelo Anthony Backed By NBPA After Phil Jackson Comments

The NBPA is not happy with comments Phil Jackson made about Carmelo Anthony.

Carmelo Anthony‘s tumultuous season with the New York Knicks came to an end last week. The Knicks ended the season 31-51, the fourth consecutive season they missed the postseason. Those four seasons are the first time that Anthony has missed the postseason in his career.

Not coincidentally, it is also when the Knicks brought Phil Jackson on as President. Jackson has always been critical of Anthony, as he was unsure he was a Jackson type player to fit into the triangle. Despite his reservations, Jackson still signed Anthony to a near max deal in his first season at the helm.

Anthony signed a five-year deal worth just over $124 million. Not only did he receive all of that money, Jackson also agreed to give Anthony a full no-trade clause; he is one of only three players in the NBA to have one, with Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James being the other. In addition to the no-trade clause, Anthony has a 15 percent trade kicker.

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Moving Anthony would be hard enough just given the contract that he has. Adding in that he has all the power in where he goes, and that he will get extra money if traded, makes it that much more difficult.

That has not stopped Jackson from trying. Jackson is determined to move Anthony and has resorted to some underhanded tactics to do so. Anthony has reiterated numerous times that he wants to stay with the Knicks, so Jackson has tried to force his hand.

Jackson took to social media to bash Anthony. He also spoke lowly of him during his press conference at the end of the regular season. Jackson said Anthony would be better off somewhere else during the press conference last Friday, and the National Basketball Players Association has heard enough.

NBPA executive director Michele Roberts criticized Jackson over his comments made towards Anthony.

"“We voiced with the Commissioner today our view on the inappropriate comments by Knicks President Phil Jackson,” Roberts said in a statement. “If players under contract cannot, under threat of league discipline, speak openly about their desire to be employed elsewhere, we expect management to adhere to the same standards. The door swings both ways when it comes to demonstrating loyalty and respect.”"

It is nice to see the NBPA stick up for Anthony. Not only because Anthony is a Vice President in the NBPA, but because front office personnel should be held to the same standards as the players, like Roberts says. If players cannot openly ask for trades, general managers shouldn’t be able to openly push trading a player.

Jackson says that the Knicks have been unable to win with Anthony, but that just isn’t true. The Knicks made the postseason every season with Anthony on the team prior to his arrival. The Knicks even won the Atlantic Division the season before Jackson came aboard before losing in the second round to the Indiana Pacers.

Anthony loves being in New York, but no one would blame him for waiving his no-trade clause. He would probably land on a team with a better chance at winning a championship and not have to deal with someone in the front office constantly bashing him.

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Anthony wouldn’t have re-signed with the Knicks if he didn’t want to be here, but James Dolan is committed to Jackson, which probably means Anthony would be better off accepting a trade to a different team.

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