‘This is the team’: Carmelo and Hornacek think trade drama’s done
For almost one week, Carmelo Anthony has been able to breathe a bit. Most of the talk around the Knicks concerned team legend Charles Oakley and his feud with team owner James Dolan. So talk of waiving no-trade clauses and potential deals was overshadowed. Until Tuesday.
But this came in the form of something Anthony may want to hear, as coach Jeff Hornacek claimed he does not foresee the Knicks making any moves before the deadline.
“Every year, I go toward the trade deadline, whether you are a player or coach, you always believe nothing’s going to happen,” Hornacek said after practice Tuesday. “I think this is going to be our team. We have had good stretches, bad stretches. We are trying to build something here before we go into the break, so I anticipate we have the same team.”
Anthony agreed with Hornacek that what you see likely is what you’ll have when the Knicks emerge from the Feb. 23 trading deadline.
“I think so. I really don’t know what’s being said or what’s going on kind of behind the scene,” Anthony said after hearing Hornacek’s bet on standing pat — which, of course, always is subject to change with one phone call. “Right now, this is the team that’s going to be after the break, and that’s what we have to look forward to.”
Anthony holds an ace in his hand: a full no-trade clause in his contract. The rumors have been plentiful with the Clippers, Cavaliers and Celtics mentioned most. All rumored, gossiped and speculated deals have been denied or shot down in one form or another.
Some saw a possible chance for desperation in Cleveland, where Kevin Love is lost for six weeks with a knee injury and subsequent surgery. Some around the league feel the Cavs, if indeed interested, might try to wait it out and hope for a bargain if the Knicks really are intent on moving Anthony, and he wants to play with buddy LeBron James and waives his no-trade. The Knicks haven’t really driven up his value, either, with negative tweets and public criticisms from Phil Jackson.
The Cavs, before the injury, said Love was out of play. Sure, they could put together a package — with pieces such as Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson or J.R. Smith. But because of past trades and rules against dealing back-to-back first-round picks, the Cavs’ next available first-rounder would be in 2021.
Try selling that to Knicks fans, even with the anti-Anthony crowd. Figure fans would determine exactly how flame retardant the Garden is in about 30 seconds. So Anthony endures the next wave. Hey, he is used to it.
“I haven’t seen anything like that, I don’t think, ever,” Anthony said after being reminded of the laundry list of crazy around the Knicks this season. “The situation in the Garden, on top of what I’ve dealing with the team, it’s been a lot. I said this before, it takes special people to deal with [it]. It’s only here in New York. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. I believe that.”
And if you can do something truly radical, like just worry about basketball, life would be far better.
“I kind of came to grips with that fact that, for me, it’s more about thinking about playing ball and letting everything else kind of play out and play it’s part and just go on from there. I’ve kind of put in my mind that that’s the way it’s going to be,” Anthony said, insisting he is “looking forward to Thursday” to clear his brain over the weeklong All-Star break.
But above all, one thing would clear his brain and make all the losing, rumors, tweets, injuries, MIA moments and outside noise of the season tolerable.
“Winning,” Anthony said. “We won the other night, which is only one game but you could kind of feel the tension leave for a couple hours after that win. And I think that’s a feeling we want to get back to feeling, winning basketball. Regardless in sports, winning is the cure, and I think we have to realize that.”