The New York Knicks have been performing infinitely better this year than they did last NBA season. With a more focused basketball team and a new head coach, the Kristaps Porzingis squad have managed to surpass their previous record smoothly. While the efforts from the Robin Lopez team are commendable, there remains a huge possibility that the New York Knick will fail to make the playoffs this season - again.
Some loyal New York Knicks fans would argue that the team can be forgiven for their performance this season. After all, the NBA squad is admittedly on the verge of building its roster. However, not all members of the New York Knicks might be onboard with this idea. In fact, this veteran member might already be moving on from the Arron Afflalo team to be part of a stronger contender in the Eastern Conference: the Cleveland Cavaliers who are now under the leadership of LeBron James.
Reports have surfaced that Carmelo Anthony, the NBA star who has been the face of the New York Knicks franchise since 2011, wants out of his current squad. At 31 years old, the NBA All-Star allegedly wants to be in a team that actually has a chance of making it to the playoffs and hopefully, getting to the finals. While Anthony remains coy with the idea of his possible departure from the New York Knicks, his recent comments are telling.
"That doesn't sit well with me," said Anthony via ESPN, referring to yet another NBA season of potentially not making the playoffs. He added, "To reflect a little about that, it's tough. To think about that, to know that it can be three years if we don't pick it up right away. I try not to think about it right now. In actuality, you have to start thinking about that eventually."
When asked if he is considering moving to another squad following yet another devastating season, Anthony provided an intriguing answer. He said, "Not yet. Not yet. Not yet." He added, "I'm pretty sure I'll have that conversation with myself, my family, my team [agents]. That's not a conversation right now."
Earlier reports revealed that Anthony was aggressively wooed by teams like the Chicago Bulls in the past. However, the NBA All-Star eventually decided to stay with the New York Knicks. Although Anthony earlier slammed NBA trade rumors, his seemingly disgruntled responses on the recent performance of his team could indicate a change of heart soon.
"I think everybody kind of dreams and hopes that they can play with another great player, another star player. It's a star player's league," said Anthony via the New York Daily Post. He added, "I think that's what we talk about when we all get together - 'I want to play with you, I want to play with you.' Even here different guys say, 'Come play with me, come play with me.' So that's always the mindset. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it don't. But I think everybody that's in my situation, that's in my position, they all want the load off especially the older they get. Because you realize you just can't do it all by yourself. Everybody knows that."
Meanwhile, Porzingis openly declared via ESPN his hope to not lose Anthony. Despite the NBA rumors revealing that a rift between the Latvian star and the veteran has been causing the team distress, the 20-year-old appears
"Obviously I wouldn't want to lose him," shared the rookie of Anthony's rumored exit. He added, "He is who he is on our team. He's very special. And we need him to do big things in the future, especially for me. I love playing alongside him, so that would obviously not be something that I want."
