Phil Jackson Says Carmelo Anthony "Would Be Better Off Somewhere Else"

“We have not been able to win with him on the court at this time,” Knicks president Phil Jackson said of Carmelo Anthony in a press conference this afternoon. “I think the direction of our team is that he is a player who would be better off somewhere else, using his talents where he can win or chase that championship.”

These quotes merely make explicit what’s already known about Jackson: He doesn’t care for the forward who he nevertheless re-signed to a five-year, $124 million deal. Anthony’s contract is up in 2019, but he strongly hinted that he was willing to waive his no-trade clause at this year’s trade deadline, and after this proclamation, he surely will this offseason.

As an emotional revelation, it’s almost a relief to finally have this out in the open rather than coded in clumsy interviews and bad tweets. As a piece of management, it’s fucking bizarre. Why would a team executive shout his desperation from the rooftops when he’s trying to get a good return on a major trade asset?