New York Knicks: Walt Frazier wants Carmelo Anthony to stay
Former New York Knicks great, and current color commentator, Walt Frazier, hopes Carmelo Anthony stays with the team.
The New York Knicks have a ton of issues to overcome this offseason. They have to repair their relationship with their best building block, Kristaps Porzingis. The future of the Knicks revolves around Porzingis developing and being happy in New York. That is something the Knicks can repair over time. In the immediate future, the biggest issue facing the Knicks is what to do with Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony and Phil Jackson are in a standoff. Anthony holds all of the power in this standoff. He received a no-trade clause in his contract when he re-upped with the Knicks in 2014. He also received a 15 percent trade kicker. That leaves the decision to be traded up to Anthony. But, it has not stopped Jackson from trying to move him.
Jackson has taken some pot shots at Anthony. On multiple occasions, he has called Anthony out on social media. He has used this as a way to push Anthony over the edge, hoping he’d waive his no-trade clause. That plot actually backfired, as Anthony reportedly dug in even more, unwilling to let Jackson push him out of New York.
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Anthony remained with the Knicks beyond the trade deadline. Now, with the offseason in full swing for the Knicks, the trade rumors will undoubtedly pop up again. If the Knicks indeed trade Anthony, now would be a good time so they could try acquiring some draft picks.
There are plenty of people that do not want to see Anthony traded. Porzingis is one of them. Another person that wants to see Anthony remain with the Knicks is Walt Frazier.
The Knicks former point guard and current color commentator on MSG believe the Knicks should hold onto Anthony.
"“I would like to see Melo stay,” said Frazier, who is the color commentator for Knicks telecasts on MSG Network. “There’s a lot of negativity going on right now, so I don’t know. I don’t think he’s the problem. They have to improve defense, get some more talent, and having Melo would be fine.”"
Frazier watches the Knicks as much as anyone and was an all-time great, so his opinion carries some weight. Anyone who watched Knicks games could hear the anguish in Frazier’s voice watching the Knicks play defense. While all of the focus was on the triangle offense, the defense was the Knicks biggest problem.
Prior to Jackson coming aboard, Anthony had some success with the Knicks. They made the postseason the first three years that Anthony was with the team. Since Jackson has come aboard, the Knicks haven’t sniffed the playoffs, even finishing with the worst record in franchise history in his first full season at the helm.
Anthony receives a lot of blame for the Knicks struggles. Some of the blame warranted, most of it is not. Jackson has not done a good job constructing the roster around Anthony, constantly changing the direction he wants to take the team.
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The long-term future is with Porzingis, but things can work with Anthony on the roster. Jackson just has to do a better job of putting the pieces together, and that starts in the 2017 NBA Draft.