With Knicks president Phil Jackson stating his preference for Carmelo Anthony to leave New York, the 1o-time All-Star has received support from Knicks legends, former and current teammates, and the NBPA. Anthony’s former Knicks teammate and current Cavaliers sharpshooter, J.R. Smith, can be added to the list of supporters.
Smith teamed with Anthony for parts of three seasons before he was traded to Cleveland along with Iman Shumpert in 2014. Speaking at a media session before Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, Smith told Newsday’s Greg Logan that Anthony’s treatment has been poor.
“I haven’t spoken to [Anthony] on the topic, but I’m sure he does feel some type of way about how he’s being treated,” Smith said. “It’s really unfair and unjust. But I’m not on that team and I’m not in that situation, so I really don’t want to speak too much on it. I’ve got bigger things going on in the NBA Finals. But I hope for the best for him. Melo is a very tough guy, and he’ll figure it out.”
Anthony, who just turned 33 years old, averaged 22.4 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 74 games during the regular season as the Knicks posted a losing record and missed the playoffs a fourth straight season. Jackson initially stated his preference for Anthony to waive his no-trade clause at a press conference in mid-April.
“We’ve not been able to win with [Anthony] on the court at this time,” Jackson said. “I think the direction with our team is that he’s a player that would be better off somewhere else and using his talent somewhere where he can win or chase that championship.”
Anthony has not publicly commented on his intentions as the offseason approaches but the veteran will be a key player to watch as a trade candidate this summer.
‘Unjust’ is kind of a strong word for this situation. People are seeming to toss this kind of language way too often these days.
J.R. Smith…because folks care about what he has to say.
I’m sure a lot of people do. I, for one, do not but I’m not going to reprove him for answering a question with his opinion.
Unjust? Really? I’ll give you 26 Million reasons why Carmelo has been treated like royalty by the Knicks. He’s nothing but a pain in the ass now, and the Knicks shouldn’t feel obligated to keep him around.
The contract they gave him says otherwise about their obligations
Krusty Krab is unfair!
Smith actually played with Anthony on the Nuggets also. I know JR is a little full of himself sometimes and isn’t a lit of people’s favorite player but I for one commend him on his honesty. He basically said he feels for his friend and the obvious tough position he is in and hopes he figures it out. What do y’all want him to say?
I’m sure we all have some type of feeling about what we’d want him to say.
Just another selfish deadbeat from Syracuse not getting a fair shake. Maybe if contracts weren’t guaranteed, players would play up to their abilities and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
“I don’t have any firsthand information and don’t want to say anything about it, but [says something about it].”
And, I do get that Phil Jackson is an egotistical dink but, come on… given everything that’s gone wrong in NY, and the type of player Carmelo is today in contrast with his contract, someone tell me where Phil is factually incorrect.
Tell me why Phil wants him gone so bad, but yet just talks badly about Melo non-stop. How does that help them get rid of him? You’re basically praying for a salary dump at this point. Also I’d take Melo’s contract any day over the albatross of a contract he decided to give Joakim Noah.
This
While he may not be wrong, NY gutted the team to get Anthony and has never really surrounded him with any kind of talent to elevate that team into a championship contender
And this.
its Carmelos own fault…he had his chiice of where to go he decided he wasnt going to take anything less than a max deal and Dolan/Phil even gave him a no trade….if Melo was really about winning and championships then he shouldve gone to Chicago…instead hes stuck for another 2 years at Max money….
The NBA is a business. You can’t expect a player like Melo to take a minimum deal at golden state just to get a ring. Great players know what they deserve. He didn’t go to New You to win a ring, he
The NBA is a business. You can’t expect a player like Melo to take a minimum deal at golden state just to get a ring. Great players know what they deserve. He didn’t go to New York to win a ring, he did it to be near his family and because that’s how he could make the most money.
Enough with this. In the terribly weak Eastern conference Melo hasn’t been able to even get the Knicks to the playoffs. For a guy like Phil that has had to work with guys that eat, sleep, and breathe basketball with a competitive fire like Kobe and MJ, this must be quite the turn for him. Melo had guys like Amare when he was still playing well, KP, role players like JR and Shumpert that seem to be doing just fine alongside LeBron, and even tried this season with deals that ended up being bad. But if the Spurs actually have interest in D-Rose he can’t be that bad, right? Either way in his entire career Melo has never been the answer. Can’t blame everyone else forever
Melo made the playoffs with Amare and none of the other players you named are even good besides KP. And you’re just skating right past the fact that Shumpert and Smith now play alongside 2 of the top 5 players in the NBA.
The Knicks never had any decent team around Carmelo. Not even one year. Hes not a superstar but he also gets way too much blame for a decade of terrible roster building.