New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony. (Photo : Reuters)
More controversy from the Big Apple as Carmelo Anthony seems to have been zoned out from the coaching selection process.
Anthony called it odd that team president Phil Jackson has not communicated with him with regards to the coaching vacancy. He shared his thoughts with ESPN.
"I'm pretty sure people would assume that [I'd be in contact with Jackson]. I would assume that too," Anthony told ESPN. "But what can I do? Bang down the door? Knock down the door and point a finger at Phil and say why hell you ain't ..."
While Melo added a dash of humor to his response, this should not be a laughing matter to Knicks fans. It's the team president and the their superstar making a major decision that could dictate the direction of the franchise in the next few years. They should be on the same page.
"It needs to be a process. As long as there's a process and you go through the proper channels to figure out exactly what you want to do, then I don't have no problem with that," Anthony mentioned to Sirius XM Radio. "But if you don't go through that process and you don't at least look and see what's out there, then we have a problem."
Melo may be referring to Jackson's reluctance to deviate from the triangle offense which has limited his coaching candidates.
It has been rumored that Carmelo wanted his team to pursue Tom Thibodeau but Jackson did not even bother to set an interview with him. Thibs eventually ended up with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony believes that Thibs would have accepted the job if it were offered to him.
Will this deadlock become a feud that could eventually lead to a trade demand?
A previous tweet by Marc Stein claimed that there are only two names in the running: Interim coach Kurt Rambis and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt, but this has not been verified.
The Knicks have not made a comment on the communication issue but for his part, Anthony denied a feud or a rift between him and Jackson.
"At this point, I still have to believe in what Phil is doing. I can't say that I don't believe in him no more, this is over with. I still have to believe in him," Anthony said. Emphasis on "still have to."
In recent updates, Marc Berman of the NY Post refuted the notion that the Blatt interview was just a formality. The Knicks are interested with Blatt because he could adapt to the triangle offense since he used the Princeton offense.
Blatt is described as a long shot for the head coaching position where Rambis is still the prohibitive favorite. There is also the possibility that Blatt may be hired as an assistant coach.
