Sounds like Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony are going to have to hash things out this summer in order for the Knicks to improve next season. According to multiple reports, Melo is fuming with Phil & the Knicks right now over what happened last night.
@IamJoeSports
New York Knicks fans inside the Barclays Center voiced their displeasure after the team used the fourth overall selection in Thursday’s draft on Kristaps Porzingis. Apparently, superstar forward Carmelo Anthony wasn’t pleased with how team president Phil Jackson handled the night either.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports Anthony called Tim Hardaway Jr., whom the Knicks traded to the Atlanta Hawks, to explain his unhappiness. The veteran isn’t pleased with the pace of the team’s rebuild, which likely won’t be accelerated by Porzingis. Melo has no desire to wait a few years for Porzingis to reach potential.
Also, according to Stephen A Smith, Melo feel betrayed by what happened because it reportedly goes against what he understood the direction of the team to be.
Now, we have to be honest here. Regardless if you’re a Knicks fan that loves or hates Melo, he and he alone made the choice to stay with the Knicks last summer over the Chicago Bulls because he wanted that extra $30 million dollars that he got by staying in New York. The Bulls had a championship caliber ready team, especially with Melo, but he chose to stay with the less talented team that could pay him more. Now, don’t get me wrong, that is great that he did because the Knicks and MSG would be even more of a joke without him, but this isn’t all on the Knicks either.
Phil knows he needs to keep Melo happy, but he also has a team to run and setup for the future. Yes, it is true that Porzingis may take a few years to reach his potential, but there is no magic ball that says someone like Cauley-Stein or Justise Winslow would help any better immediately. They did get Melo some more help later in the round when they got Jerian Grant by trading Hardaway Jr. I realize Melo likes THJ, but fact is he can’t do much more than he has already shown and he will likely be a career role player. Grant can come in and is an immediate upgrade at the point guard spot and can get his own shots, as well as set up Melo for better shots.
Moral of this story is Melo has the right to be upset, but to be furious and feel betrayed is a bit much. The Knicks were not going to go from joke of the league to title contender in one season anyway. We need to let it play out.
Check the gallery for Isola’s tweets about what Melo said after the night was over.
