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Report: Phil Jackson told Carmelo Anthony he disagreed with Charley Rosen’s criticism

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The Knicks have reached out to several teams in regards to trading Carmelo Anthony, but it looks like he may stick around in New York through the season.

Carmelo Anthony told Knicks president Phil Jackson he wanted to stay in New York.

But what does Jackson want?

That’s the big unknown. Phil Jackson mouthpiece Charley Rosen wrote Carmelo Anthony outlived his usefulness in New York. Anthony took that as a comment from Jackson himself.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:

In the meeting, Jackson told Anthony he did not subscribe to the criticisms in the article and the story did not speak for him, sources said.

Al Iannazzone of Newsday:

A league source with knowledge of the team’s thinking said before the Tuesday meeting that the Knicks want Anthony to stay “as long as it’s mutual.”

Anthony holds the final say due to his no-trade clause, but he also said he’d consider waiving it if the Knicks want to rebuild. So, Jackson’s opinion matters.

Most likely, the uneasy partnership continues. Anthony remains with the Knicks, because he likes the overall package – living and playing in New York – enough to handle the downsides. The Knicks keep losing, because they’ve committed too much to a declining Anthony and have failed to add quality pieces around him.

It could make sense to rebuild around Kristaps Porzingis, though that would likely mean moving Anthony, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee. It seems nobody wants to go to that much trouble with Anthony preferring to stay.