There is a good chance Carmelo Anthony has played his final game with the New York Knicks. It is expected that head coach Mike Woodson will shut down Anthony for the remaining games of the season since New York has been mathematically removed from playoff contention, losing the final seed to the Atlanta Hawks. Now with free agency coming into focus, Anthony calls his future in the Big Apple cloudy at best.
Anthony has already said he plans on opting out of his current contract and become a free agent. However, he could still re-sign with the New York Knicks even though almost every other team will be in heavy pursuit of the guard come the offseason. So what are the chances that Anthony considers a return to the Knicks after this season's struggles?
"It's hard for me to even think about that," Anthony said, via the New York Post. "It's hard for me to even think past [the current game] at this point. Everything for me is just cloudy. I've never been in this situation before. I don't know what to say about this situation. The only thing for me is to stay positive. ... There's going to be a lot of questions that I have, that I'm going to be asking myself: 'Why this? Why that?' I'm pretty sure I won't find no answers anytime soon."
The Knicks still have two games left this season, but teams should not expect to Anthony on the court. With a sore shoulder, he is done for the year. With the Knicks out of the playoffs, this year will be the first time that Anthony has not gone to the postseason in 10 seasons. Anthony admitted the reality of not playing in playoffs is certainly a shock.
"It's not even real for me right now," Anthony said. "We still have two games left, but that hasn't set in yet. ... It's hard now. It's hard for me to accept that. It's hard to kind of be happy in these times. It's just a hard situation for me right now."
Anthony remains confident that the Knicks can turn things around quickly for next season, he just fails to state whether he will be a part of it. The guard said hiring Phil Jackson was the first step in the right direction and is a big play for him for the future. Another player confident in a turnaround he may or may not be a part of is Amar'e Stoudemire who said that when healthy, the Knicks are the best team in the league.
"Not making the playoffs is not an option," Stoudemire said. "[Another losing season is] not an option for us. We're definitely looking to make the playoffs every year. This year's been a struggle. But if I return healthy and ready to go, I'm sure we'll make the playoffs."
Jackson praised Stoudemire for his resurgence after the injuries, but did not confirm his future with the Knicks. Stoudemire is aware there are rumors he will be out this season, but simply said he is optimistic he can remain a leader in New York.