With Phil Jackson officially a member of the New York Knicks, the focus will now shift back to Carmelo Anthony and his upcoming free agency. The guard has come out in support of the Jackson hire, but was quick to say that it will have little to no impact on his future decisions this offseason. However, during his introductory press conference at Madison Square Garden, Jackson remained confident that the Knicks will retain Anthony for the future.
"No doubt," said Jackson, via ESPN.com. "There's no doubt about Carmelo being one of the top scorers in the league, maybe the best individual isolation player in the game. I have no problems with committing to saying Carmelo is in the future plans. I think there are a number of things I see Carmelo doing as he moves forward. And I think I was on record saying a year ago that I think Carmelo, as great a player as he is, still has another level he can go to. And I hope together, with the team we create, he can get there."
The New York Post speculates that Jackson likely would not have agreed to take the front office job if he did not have some kind of assurance that Anthony would remain with the Knicks in free agency. The guard has already announced he will opt out of his current contract and test the market. New York can offer one more year and $33 million more than any other team which obviously gives them an advantage. Now having Jackson, the Knicks could actually be the favorite to sign Anthony despite the disastrous 2013 season.
"As far as knowing what it takes to win, Phil is the best to ever do it," Anthony said. "So for me to be able to have the opportunity and have him by my side, for him to teach me, you know, because I'm still willing to learn the game of basketball. "And I haven't won anything [and] he's won a lot. I can learn a lot from him and his system, things that he wants to incorporate here. I'm hoping and praying this all works."
While Anthony's future with the New York Knicks is guaranteed as long as he wants it to be, other players might not be so lucky. After facing trade rumors all season, Iman Shumpert might be safe as well. According to the Post, Jackson likes what he sees in Shumpert and believes the young player has what it takes to be someone to build around. On the blocks are Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire. Both players have either underperformed or suffered from injuries. With large, cap-hitting contracts, both players are at risk with a new front regime being put into place.
