NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony, Phil Jackson At Odds Over Comments
NBA rumors are swirling that New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony is at odds with team president Phil Jackson, according to multiple media outlets.
The rumors began Thursday night after Carmelo Anthony shared a cryptic Instagram post, according to Sports Illustrated. In the image’s caption, Carmelo Anthony took what many perceived as a veiled shot at Phil Jackson after the New York Knicks superstar blamed egos for “destroying any relationship.”
On Friday, Carmelo Anthony confirmed the Instagram post was indeed about Phil Jackson. The post was retaliation against Phil Jackson for comments he made during a radio interview earlier in the week suggesting Carmelo Anthony was holding the ball too long on offense, according to the article. While Phil Jackson later went on to praise the New York Knicks star, the negativity from the team’s president didn’t sit well with the 32-year-old forward, Carmelo Anthony told the New York Daily News.
“At the end of the day we’re playing good basketball. That’s the only thing that matters at this point. So any negativity that’s coming towards me or towards the team, I don’t think we need it at this point.”
According to the New York Daily News, Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson had not talked about the comments by late Friday afternoon as the team prepared to play the Sacramento Kings in California. Phil Jackson did not join the team on their five-game road trip to play NBA Western Conference foes.
Phil Jackson has been the source of multiple controversies this season, including comments last month where the New York Knicks team president talked about LeBron James’ business partner as part of his “posse,” according to ESPN. As he did with the LeBron comments, the New York Knicks forward is leaving the decision up to Phil Jackson as to whether the two have a discussion to clear the air, according to Carmelo Anthony.
“If he wants to talk about it, cool. If he don’t, cool. In my eyes it’s over… I just don’t know what was behind the comments or where the comments came from. I just want to continue doing what we’re doing, playing ball. I feel like we’re playing some good basketball, and just to kind of have a temporary black cloud over our heads after — I didn’t know when the comments (were) made, or what was made, or the gist of the conversation… I just know that something was said.”
Despite the distractions, Carmelo Anthony led all scorers on Friday as the New York Knicks defeated the Sacramento Kings 103-100. Carmelo Anthony had 33 points and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes of action, leading New York to its fifth win in six games. During that time span, the Knicks only loss came at the hands of the defending NBA champions — the Cleveland Cavaliers — in a lopsided 126-94 game.
This isn’t the first time this season that NBA rumors have suggested the New York Knicks best-known player has dealt with adversity this season. According to the Inquisitr, Carmelo Anthony was allegedly disgruntled early last month with his team’s poor performance to start the season.
The New York Knicks weren’t the only NBA team on the Kings’ court dealing with rumors, according to the Inquisitr. Sacramento has its own NBA rumors floating around, especially trade rumors regarding several of their players. The loudest rumors are pointing to center DeMarcus Cousins potentially leaving town. Fans of the Kings are also hearing NBA rumors about Omri Casspi actively pursuing a trade.
Do you believe the NBA rumors involving New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony and the team’s president Phil Jackson? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
[Featured Image by Al Bello/Getty Images]
