The New York Knicks consecutive loss count is now at 13 games. Things are not just bad at this point, they are down-right ugly. The New York Times is trolling the team with wanted ads. People are throwing around the word "tanking" to describe the franchise at this point. Phil Jackson continues to stress that fans should keep the bigger picture in mind when thinking about the Knicks as more trades are set to come in the approaching month.
Carmelo Anthony is stressing his faith in Jackson. As the Knicks netted another loss on Wednesday, this time falling to the Washington Wizards, Anthony is stressing that Jackson knows what he is doing and is preparing New York for better things to come in the upcoming seasons.
"I've got to trust in what's happening," Anthony said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "I've got to trust in the plan that they're trying to put in place. I kind of knew that it was going to be kind of a rebuilding situation. But to be in the situation that we're in now from a record standpoint, I couldn't imagine this in a long time. When I first committed back to New York, that was something I always said: I had to trust that them guys know what they're doing and believe in them guys. And that was one of the reasons I wanted to come back."
New York pulled off a trade of JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers and promptly waived the three players they got in return. They also waived center Samuel Dalembert who was acquired over the summer in a deal involving Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. Those moves pair with injuries to Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire leaving a good portion of the Knicks roster to be relatively unknown players. Cole Aldrich is getting major minutes. Rookie Cleanthony Early is starting to see playing times. Tim Hardaway Jr is now leading in scoring. As question marks still remain over the short-term outlook of the Knicks, are more trades coming?
According to the New York Post, the next deals could involve either Jose Calderon or Andrea Bargnani in the near future. The Knicks would ideally like to acquire Reggie Jackson from the Oklahoma City Thunder, a player they came close to getting earlier in the week. They could also be eyeing someone like Deron Williams, although his contract is less than favorable for a rebuilding team. The Knicks will continue to try and make as many moves as possible in order to help set them up for a big free agency run in the summer.
