GREENBURGH, N.Y. — While the Knicks hosted a news conference, surrounding their shiny new first-round picks — Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant — with the organizational brain trust of Phil Jackson, Steve Mills and Derek Fisher for smiling photos, already the word was beginning to seep through that not everyone was smiling.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — While the Knicks hosted a news conference, surrounding their shiny new first-round picks — Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant — with the organizational brain trust of Phil Jackson, Steve Mills and Derek Fisher for smiling photos, already the word was beginning to seep through that not everyone was smiling.
Jackson had texted with the team’s lone star, Carmelo Anthony, on draft night, informing him of the decision to select Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick. It was the best decision for the future of the franchise, a 19-year-old with talents that Knicks’ executives gushed were once in a lifetime. But it wasn’t in the best interests of Anthony, who is 31 years old, rehabilitating from knee surgery and facing four more years of waiting to shed the losing player label that he carries as visibly as his scoring ability.
According to a report in the New York Daily News, Anthony called Tim Hardaway Jr., who was dealt away for the No. 19 overall pick — Grant — on Thursday night and expressed his displeasure with the draft night moves, particularly taking on a project like Porzingis, quoting a source who said Anthony griped, “We have to wait three years for this guy?” The report said the Knicks’ front office was aware of his feelings — which seemed right in line with Jackson’s response about how these picks fit with Anthony.
“Carmelo is always on my mind,” Jackson said. “He’s our favorite son at this point in his life and that’s the way it should be. But the second most important thing is what we do for this franchise. That has to be a consideration. And I let ‘Melo know that as we made this choice.
“He actually sat in during KP’s workout for a few minutes, just to get an idea of what we were looking at and what he could see. So I think there’s that particular feeling. Yeah, we anticipate it’s going to be rough, regardless of whether we have a 19-year-old KP or a 19-year-old whomever. They’re still young players and have a lot of maturation to go.”
Anthony’s anger is understandable, having sat down with Jackson last summer when he was a free agent and hearing the pitch of how the Zen Master would use his mystical ways — or at least the triangle offense — to create a new winning culture at Madison Square Garden. But Anthony has been around the NBA long enough to know better, to know what a winning organization looks like and what a rebuilding project is.
As a free agent, Anthony went on a recruiting tour, visiting the Bulls, the Rockets, Mavericks and Lakers — and the first three provided ready-to-win rosters. For a few dollars more — and the branding opportunities that he saw in New York — he returned to the Knicks, either convinced that Jackson’s rhetoric rang true or content to continue with a career that earned him more millions than he can count and playoff series victories that he could tally on one hand.
Anthony trusted his decision enough to cement it with a no-trade clause, something he can waive if he really is intent on finding a win-now team. But it’s hard to imagine that Anthony expected anything different Thursday night. With the team picking fourth, the choices were either high-ceiling prospects with almost no experience like Porzingis, Emmanuel Mudiay or Mario Hezonja, or more ready — but maybe peaked — players like Frank Kaminsky or Willie Cauley-Stein. There was no draft pick that would fit in with the timeline for Anthony’s dwindling window of opportunity; but at least the Knicks had a pick, as opposed to next summer when there is no first- or second-round pick.
The last hope for something to get done before Anthony begins to see the end is free agency, but his own gripes hardly sound as if he’s serving as a leader on the recruiting trail. The 17-win season and a disgruntled star are hardly the lure for a Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge or DeAndre Jordan — or even Greg Monroe, thought to be a likely target.
“We have quite a bit of money sitting there in a position in which we have the ability to use it,” Jackson said. “Whether it’s completely used or whether we have the opportunity to use it is still unknown. We have to go out there and make the challenge and make the promise and make the hopes for somebody else to come here. So we have no idea. There are no promises in this particular free agency, at least on our end.”
Jackson said Anthony was in Las Vegas with his family and had texted him. While it is usually Jackson who sends out cryptic messages, Anthony tweeted Friday afternoon, “What’s understood doesn’t need to be spoken upon. (hashtag)DestiNY (hashtag)TheFutureIsNow.”
There are no promises or predictions now by Jackson. He did predict a playoff berth a year ago, so maybe his promises to Anthony were broken, too. But with his five-year, $124 million contract, Anthony signed on for better or worse. Last year was worst and maybe better is still far off. Anthony should have known that when he made his choice.