Prior to the season beginning, it was reported that Carmelo Anthony would request a trade if the New York Knicks do not win. Anthony signed a five-year, $124 million contract last offseason that contains a no-trade clause in it. Many believed that if the Knicks suffered another tough, losing season, Anthony would opt to waive the clause and play somewhere else as he hits the prime of his career. However, heading into the preseason, Anthony is making it clear he is not leaving New York.
"No, hell no," Anthony said, via ESPN.com. "I haven't even -- for me to get to that point and decide this is not what it's going to be, I already came this far. That don't even come across my mind at this point."
Anthony made it clear that every rumor this offseason was false. He set the record straight saying that he is thrilled Kristaps Porzingis is with the team. He likes the additions of Arron Afflalo and Robin Lopez and he is confident that Derek Fisher is the head coach to lead the team. Anthony did admit that he was disappointed the Knicks could not get some top free agents including Greg Monroe and DeAndre Jordan, but he does not think that means the Knicks are doomed to fail this year.
"In any free agency you always try to shoot for the top, for the cream of the crop," Anthony said. "And then there's another tier that you have to go to when things don't go your way and that's the tier that we're at right now. I thought [the team] did a great job of putting this group of guys together."
While are banking on players like Lopez and Affalo to make an immediate impact, Jose Calderon is another player that must step up right away. According to ESPN's Ian Begley, Calderon is projected to start this season as he is healthy. The Knicks do have Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant, but Calderon is confident that he is ready to improve off last year and make an impact.
"I feel better," Calderon said, via Newsday.com. "The atmosphere, the environment, everything is different for whatever reason. I'm really comfortable, maybe knowing what the coaches want, what the system is, the people. You know everybody and you know how everybody is, what they want from you."
Injuries will be what derails the plan for the Knicks. Recently, both Anthony and Calderon have a bad history with injuries and are hoping to stay healthy. Already in training camp, Afflalo is down with an issue that will cause him to miss preseason games. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Afflalo is dealing with a hamstring injury and is day-to-day. The Knicks want to be cautious so the issue does not linger.
