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Latest On Carmelo Anthony

April 15th, 2017 at 9:13am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks president Phil Jackson didn’t mince words when addressing his long-simmering dispute with Carmelo Anthony in a press conference Friday. Making his intentions clear to end their relationship, Jackson said, “I think the direction with our team, he’ll be better off somewhere else.”

The problem is that there’s no easy way for a break-up to occur. Anthony is under contract for $26,243,760 next season and $27,928,140 in 2018/19 with an early termination option. There is also a 15% trade kicker that must be paid by whatever team acquires him, along with a no-trade clause that Anthony can use to block any deal he doesn’t like.

With that in mind, several NBA writers have taken a look at where Anthony might wind up:

Anthony has three options for the offseason, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation. He can waive the no-trade clause and accept a deal, although Ziller says he shouldn’t feel obligated to do so just because Jackson wants him gone. He can submit a list of teams that he would agree to be traded to, which would presumably include joining friends LeBron James with the Cavaliers, Chris Paul with the Clippers or Dwyane Wade with the Bulls. Or he can make a stand and tell the Knicks that he won’t leave until his contract expires. Ziller favors the last option, noting that Anthony likes being in New York and has earned the power he obtained through the no-trade clause.
The Cavaliers, Clippers and Celtics, whom the Knicks reportedly contacted about moving Anthony before the February deadline, are listed as possible destinations by The New York Post, along with the Heat and Wizards.
Miami may have interest in Anthony, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel, who notes that team president Pat Riley pursued the Knicks star in free agency three years ago. With more than $25MM expected to be freed in cap space once the Chris Bosh situation is resolved, Miami could add Anthony with a simple trade, and Winderman suggests Justise Winslow as a possibility. However, that would leave the team unable to re-sign James Johnson and Dion Waiters.
The Bulls “will steer completely clear of whatever Carmelo does,” predicts Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. In a video posted on CSNChicago.com, Friedell suggests that if Anthony had come to Chicago three seasons ago, Tom Thibideau probably would have been kept as coach and current Knicks Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah would still be with the Bulls.

Kristaps Porzingis Reportedly Skipped Exit Meetings

April 14th, 2017 at 11:30pm CST by Milo Taibi

The Knicks‘ season may be over, but the team’s PR struggles continued with Phil Jackson‘s press conference this afternoon. Following an unusual presser, in which Jackson asserted Carmelo Anthony would “be better off somewhere else,” Ian Begley of ESPN reported frustration from Kristaps Porzingis. Per Begley, Porzingis skipped exit meetings with the Knicks following this season, citing what he perceived to be “dysfunction and drama surrounding the organization.”

“Porzingis, according to team sources, is frustrated with the Knicks’ lack of direction,” Begley reports. Jackson’s remarks at Friday’s press conference involved Porzingis as well as Anthony; claiming the 21-year-old is not ready ot become the face of the franchise (Twitter link).

In the past, Porzingis hasn’t shied away from criticizing team management. At the end of March, Porzingis told Fred Kerber of the New York Post that his team didn’t do it from the beginning the right way…We didn’t have real fundamentals as a team.”

For what it’s worth, Jackson acknowledged the volatile reputation the Knicks have gathered in recent years.

“I think there’s disconnect sometimes with this team and I think there was some rebelliousness with this team that created some of the discord during the year. And I think has to stop and that will stop,” Jackson said.

Phil Jackson: Carmelo ‘Better Off Somewhere Else’

April 14th, 2017 at 1:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks president Phil Jackson offered his strongest indication yet of an upcoming separation with Carmelo Anthony, tweets Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. “We’ve not been able to win with him on the court,” Jackson said at a press conference this afternoon. “… I think the direction with our team, he’ll be better off somewhere else.”

Jackson has met with Anthony to talk about the best way for them to move on, and how both sides could benefit from a trade (Twitter link). Jackson described their meeting as “cordial” and complimented Anthony for “holding it together” during a difficult season, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Mutual dissatisfaction between Jackson and Anthony has been obvious for some time, and the Knicks reportedly contacted the Clippers, Cavaliers and Celtics before the February deadline in an attempt to find a taker. At that time, Anthony gave the Knicks a list of teams that he would agree to join (Twitter link).

Anthony received a no-trade clause as part of his latest contract and would have to give his consent for any deal to take place. Responding to a question today from a reporter, Jackson indicated that Anthony might be happier playing for a title contender, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com.

Some other highlights from today’s press conference:

Jackson believes the Knicks never developed the chemistry they needed to win close games (Twitter link) and accepts responsibility for a disappointing season (Twitter link). “I never took a jump shot, never made a substitution, but the buck stops here,” he said.
Jackson said he had a good exit meeting with Derrick Rose and likes the free agent point guard’s attitude about “redeeming himself” in New York (Twitter link). Rose, who was acquired from the Bulls in a trade last summer, told Jackson he wants to stay in New York (Twitter link).
Jackson complimented first-year coach Jeff Hornacek and said he is comfortable with him keeping the job (Twitter link). Jackson acknowledged some “disconnect” between players and coaches.
Jackson doesn’t believe the deterioration of his relationship with Anthony will prevent other free agents from considering the Knicks (Twitter link).
He says the triangle offense hasn’t worked in New York because it has “faced resistance” from players (Twitter link).
Jackson says 21-year-old Kristaps Porzingis is too young to be made the face of the franchise (Twitter link).
He declined to comment on the February incident that saw former Knick Charles Oakley arrested and removed from Madison Square Garden after a confrontation with team owner James Dolan. Jackson said he tries not to think about it.

Knicks Notes: Chemistry, Rose, Oakley

April 13th, 2017 at 10:08pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Many factors contributed to the Knicks’ disappointing season, though team chemistry belongs near the top of the list, Ian Begley of ESPN.com notes. Earlier in the season, Rose went missing for a game and he addressed his teammates on the following night, apologizing for putting them in a bad spot. Begley hears from a source that after Rose concluded, no one said a word and the scribe believes it’s a testament to the team’s lack of cohesiveness.

Here’s more from New York:

Prior to Derrick Rose‘s latest injury, the Knicks were still considering him as an option had they missed out on bigger free agent targets, such as Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague, Begley writes in the same piece. Coach Jeff Hornacek recently said the team won’t close the door on a Rose return.
Rose would be happy to get another shot with the Knicks, but he’s excited to hit free agency for the first time in his career, Lonnae O’Neal of The Undefeated passes along. “I would love to stay here,” Rose said of New York. “I love my teammates, I love the coaches, I love the front office. But this will be the first time that I will hit free agency, so I want to take advantage of everything and just see what the free agency system is all about.”
Charles Oakley has been arraigned in court on charges stemming from his ejection from Madison Square Garden earlier this season, ESPN.com relays. Oakley has maintained his innocence and declared that he’ll fight the charges.
Carmelo Anthony is reportedly leaning toward waiving his no-trade clause this summer. Unless he and Phil Jackson can reconcile, New York will look to deal him.

Carmelo Wants “Commitment To Win” From Knicks

April 13th, 2017 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

With the Knicks’ 2016/17 season in the books, the focus in New York will shift to Carmelo Anthony‘s future with the franchise, and Anthony spoke to reporters on Wednesday about his current situation. The star forward is prepared to have his exit meeting on Thursday with Phil Jackson, GM Steve Mills, and head coach Jeff Hornacek, and suggests he’d like a “commitment to win” from the Knicks, as Ian Begley of ESPN.com and Marc Berman of The New York Post detail.

“I would love to be back, but there’s some things I’d love to see different — the mentality, a winning mentality, being committed to that,” Anthony said. “I want to win. Hopefully everybody else does. I wanted to win. They know that when I signed my contract a couple of years ago. That’s still my mindset. If that’s not the direction they want to go in — it’s communication. Just communicate.”

Anthony still wields a no-trade clause this summer, and while he has said all along that he’d love to remain in New York, his post-game comments on Wednesday indicate that if the Knicks want to rebuild around Kristaps Porzingis and the team’s other younger players, that will be something he takes into consideration as he decides whether to waive that NTC. Anthony’s comments suggest that he recognizes the Knicks would probably be open to a deal if he is.

“It’s all on me,” Anthony said. “I have a lot of thinking and reflecting to do. It’s all on me at this point. I’m pretty sure the organization has an idea and thought of what they want to do and how they want do it. At this point it’s all on me.”

Anthony clarified that he remains uncertain about what his future holds, and that hearing what the Knicks have in mind for him going forward will likely have an impact on his decision. As Begley details, Anthony also admitted that it was “hard to trust” Jackson after the Knicks president criticized him publicly earlier this season.

“If somebody was talking bad about you indirectly at your job, what would you do? You would feel a certain way,” Anthony said. “You would want that person to come straightforward with you. And I feel the same way. I’m always open. I’m a very honest person. I know the business and I know the game and I know how it works. So if it’s something that you want to get across, a message that you want to get across, I’ve always been open.”

A report earlier today indicated that the Knicks and Jackson each picked up their side of Jackson’s mutual option, locking him up as the team’s president for two more years. It remains to be seen whether that will reduce Anthony’s odds of sticking with the franchise.

2017 NBA Draft Lottery Odds

April 13th, 2017 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s 2016/17 regular season now in the books, the odds for this year’s draft lottery have been set. With the help of our Reverse Standings, as well as information from LotteryBucket.com, here is the 2017 lottery order, along with each team’s chances of landing a top pick:

Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)
- No. 1: 25.0%
- Top-3: 64.3%
- Lowest pick: No. 4
- Note: Celtics acquire pick due to ability to swap first-round picks with Nets.
Phoenix Suns
- No. 1: 19.9%
- Top-3: 55.8%
- Lowest pick: No. 5
Los Angeles Lakers
- No. 1: 15.6%
- Top-3: 46.9%
- Lowest pick: No. 6
- Note: Pick will be sent to Sixers if not in top 3 (odds: 53.1%).
Philadelphia 76ers
- No. 1: 14.7%
- Top-3: 45.3%
- Lowest pick: No. 7
- Note: Sixers have right to swap picks with Kings, so their No. 1 and top-3 odds are a little higher than they otherwise would be. No. 1 and top-3 odds for Sixers’ own pick are 11.9% and 37.8%, respectively.
Orlando Magic
- No. 1: 8.8%
- Top-3: 29.12%
- Lowest pick: No. 8
Minnesota Timberwolves
- No. 1: 5.3%
- Top-3: 18.3%
- Lowest pick: No. 9
- Note: Timberwolves won tiebreaker with Knicks.
New York Knicks
- No. 1: 5.3%
- Top-3: 18.2%
- Lowest pick: No. 10
- Note: Knicks lost tiebreaker with Timberwolves.
Sacramento Kings
- No. 1: N/A
- Top-3: 2.5%
- Lowest pick: No. 11
- Note: Sixers have right to swap picks with Kings, rendering No. 1 pick impossible and greatly reducing odds of top-3 pick.
- Note: Pick will be sent to Bulls if not in top 10 (odds: 0.01%).
Dallas Mavericks
- No. 1: 1.7%
- Top-3: 6.1%
- Lowest pick: No. 12
New Orleans Pelicans
- No. 1: 1.1%
- Top-3: 4.0%
- Lowest pick: No. 13
- Note: Pick will be sent to Kings if not in top 3 (odds: 96.0%).
Charlotte Hornets
- No. 1: 0.8%
- Top-3: 2.9%
- Lowest pick: No. 14
Detroit Pistons
- No. 1: 0.7%
- Top-3: 2.5%
- Lowest pick: No. 14
Denver Nuggets
- No. 1: 0.6%
- Top-3: 2.2%
- Lowest pick: No. 14
Miami Heat
- No. 1: 0.5%
- Top-3: 1.8%
- Lowest pick: No. 14

Phil Jackson, Knicks Exercised Mutual Option

April 13th, 2017 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and team president Phil Jackson “quietly” picked up their respective sides of Jackson’s mutual option for the next two years this spring, according to Ramona Shelburne and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The option would have allowed either side to exit the contract this year, but now that it has been exercised by both sides, Jackson is locked in through the 2018/19 season. Sources tell ESPN that the mutual option was exercised “a while ago.”

As another disappointing season in New York neared its conclusion, there had been speculation that one side or the other would opt out of Jackson’s contract. A report in March suggested that some people close to Knicks owner James Dolan were urging him to make a change, despite his public commitment in February to retaining Jackson.

Meanwhile, Jackson just finished a turbulent 2016/17 season that saw him publicly clash with star forward Carmelo Anthony in the weeks and months leading up to the trade deadline. In Jackson’s three years as New York’s president, the team now has an 80-166 overall record. However, he has long insisted that the option was only inserted in his contract as a precautionary measure related to CBA talks, since he didn’t want to stick around through another lockout.

With Jackson poised to manage the Knicks’ roster through another season, he’ll have plenty of interesting decisions to make this summer, including potentially trading Anthony, deciding whether to attempt to bring back free agent point guard Derrick Rose, and determining which player to draft with the club’s lottery pick.

Joakim Noah Expected To Miss 4-6 Months With Torn Rotator Cuff

April 12th, 2017 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

12:11pm: The Knicks have confirmed that Noah has a rotator cuff injury, clarifying that the injury is to his right shoulder. While team doctors have recommended surgery, a final decision has yet to be made and an official recovery timeline hasn’t been determined, according to the team (Twitter link).

8:35am: Joakim Noah‘s nightmare first year in New York has taken another unfortunate turn, with Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reporting that the veteran center will require surgery for a torn left rotator cuff. The injury is expected to keep Noah sidelined for the next four to six months, which could jeopardize his training camp availability in the fall.

Noah, 32, signed a four-year, $72MM+ contract with the Knicks last summer and struggled to produce for his new team this season, averaging 5.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 46 games (all starts). As NBA.com’s advanced stats show, the Knicks had a -6.0 net rating with Noah on the court, compared to -3.5 when he was on the bench.

In addition to his underwhelming play on the court, Noah has suffered a handful of other setbacks in the last two months. He underwent a left knee arthroscopy in February and then received a 20-game suspension in March for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program. The Knicks center served eight games of that suspension this season, meaning he’ll have to serve the remaining 12 next season, once he’s ruled healthy enough to play following his shoulder surgery.

Noah’s contract, which has $55MM+ left on it for the next three years, looks like an albatross, but it would be a little surprising to see the Knicks make any drastic moves with it this summer.

If the team were to waive Noah and stretch his deal, that leftover salary could be spread out over seven years, with an annual cap charge of just under $8MM. That would create about $10MM of extra cap space for the next three years, but would add four extra years of cap hits for Noah, impacting the Knicks’ long-term flexibility. New York may prefer to wait and see if Noah can bounce back somewhat in 2017/18.

Draft Notes: Fultz, Ball, Hutchison, 2018

April 11th, 2017 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks currently have the sixth-best odds in the NBA draft lottery, which would give them a modest 6.3% chance to land the first overall pick. Despite those fairly long odds, potential No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz has considered the possibility of playing for New York, and was in attendance on Sunday at Madison Square Garden to take a first-hand look at the team and its triangle system.

As Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News details, Fultz said it would be “amazing” to be drafted by the Knicks, and didn’t express any reservations about the triangle.

“I think I could play in any system,” Fultz said. “I’m very versatile, so it was cool to see that. It’s a lot of openings and stuff like that, so that’s why I came to see that in person.”

Let’s round up a few more draft-related items…

Former UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball is the biggest threat to Fultz for that No. 1 pick, but if he had to choose between being drafted first overall and being selected by the Lakers, Ball would opt for the Lakers, he recently told ESPN (video link). Ball also made the case for why clubs should draft him over Fultz, suggesting that he’s more capable of leading a team than the Washington point guard is.
Boise State’s Chandler Hutchison will enter his name in the 2017 NBA draft pool, but won’t hire an agent, according to an announcement from the school. “Our coaches have informed me that NBA teams are expressing interest, and I feel that I need to take advantage of the opportunity to be evaluated and find out where I truly stand,” Hutchison said in a statement. The junior shooting guard, who isn’t considered a top prospect by DraftExpress or ESPN, will have until May 24 to decide whether to withdraw his name and return to Boise State.
Much has been made of the strength of the 2017 draft class, but as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in an Insider-only piece, the 2018 class projects to have several elite prospects at the top too. However, it won’t be as deep as 2017’s class. “[The 2017] class was one of the most talented and deepest I’ve ever seen,” one NBA GM said. “[For 2018], I love three or four guys and that’s about it.” Michael Porter Jr. (Missouri), Luka Doncic (Real Madrid), and DeAndre Ayton (Arizona) are the three players at the top of Ford’s 2018 board.
Former Green Bay power forward Kerem Kanter, who was said to be testing the draft process before potentially graduating and transferring, has committed to Xavier, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. As such, the brother of Enes Kanter figures to postpone his pro career for another year.

And-Ones: Fredette, Marbury, O. Johnson

April 10th, 2017 at 10:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Multiple teams offered Jimmer Fredette a 10-day deal after his season in the Chinese Basketball Association concluded, but he turned those deals down to stay home with his wife and newborn daughter, Ken Tingley of the Post Star reports. The guard played this season with the Shanghai Sharks and the team wants him back next season, though he has not made a decision on where he wants to play. Beijing has also made Fredette a contract offer for 2017/18, per Tingley.

As a result of his noteworthy college career and his year in the CBA, Fredette has become extremely popular in China. Tingley adds that the Communist government, which does not allow the free flow of information, previously contacted Fredette to make sure he wouldn’t use his social media popularity to share political views. Fredette told them that he was not political and that simply playing basketball was the goal.

Fredette showcased his scoring ability in his lone season in China, averaging 37.6 points per game on 47.4% shooting. He had a 73 point game and he won the league’s MVP award. He’s still eligible to play in the NBA’s postseason should a playoff team sign him.

Here’s more from around the league:

Stephon Marbury will play one more season in the CBA before becoming a coach in the league, Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com relays. The scribe adds that Marbury would like to eventually return to the NBA as a head coach .
Marbury said he admires the way Carmelo Anthony has handled the constant adversity with the Knicks, Popper adds in the same piece. “I think he’s handled it great,” the point guard said. “He understands. He knows. This is the biggest market in the world as far as in the NBA playing basketball. He understands if he wins what it will be like here. Sometimes you’ve got to go through the tough times and all of the dark times in order to get to the light.”
Orlando Johnson has signed with the Lebanese Basketball club Riyadi, according to E. Carchia of Sportando. Johnson was the No. 36 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.