Carmelo Anthony is trying to calm New York Knicks fans down. The forward made headlines recently after saying he had every intention of testing out the free agent market next summer. Anthony will be one of the most sought after free agents in the league besides LeBron James and Chris Bosh. However, the forward is letting fans know that he has every intention of staying and retiring a Knick.
Anthony has claimed that he would stay quiet about his pending future, but he has yet to stay true to that. The forward stopped by TNT's NBA Pregame show to discuss his future with the Knicks franchise and what his motives are going forward with free agency on the horizon.
"They pulled all the strings to get me here, and I wanted to be here, you know," Anthony said. "And I want to retire in New York, let's be quite frank. I think a lot of people jumped the gun when I said I wanted to be a free agent. And yeah, I want people to come to play in New York. I want them to want to play in New York. I want New York to be that place where guys want to come play in New York."
While many teams are planning to heavily recruit Anthony, he will attempt to bring others to the team after he signs a new contract. Charles Barkley recently said that Anthony lacked the star power and leadership abilities to bring quality players to the Knicks, something the veteran completely disagrees with.
For now, Anthony continues to say that he will not discuss his future, while continuing to make comments about it. When the TNT staff asked what his future would look like and whether he would really opt out of his contract, Anthony politely declined to comment.
"I don't want to talk [about that]," Anthony said. "I said what I said, I believe that. That's my goal, that's what I want to do. I don't want to talk about that. David [Aldridge] asked me a question; I answered. No disrespect to you, I just don't want to talk about that."
So, when Anthony makes his next set of comments about his future, everyone can remember that he does not want to discuss it. The Knicks have the upper hand in the whole ordeal. They can offer Anthony the most money of any team. New York can give Anthony a five-year, $129+ million if he opts out but stays in the city. Any other team can only offer him a four-year, $95+ million contract. If it come down to money, Anthony stays. If it comes down to championships, Anthony leaves.
