Carmelo Anthony has had a bit of an unfulfilling NBA career thus far, playing on teams that just couldn't match his talent. So when he met with the Knicks on Thursday, he made sure they knew he wanted them to be aggressive this offseason.
"I think that's the main question. 'How can we take advantage of this window? How can we take advantage of this situation that we have in front of us?'" Anthony asked via ESPN .
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Anthony's met with team president Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills. The star, who turns 32 next month, said the trio had a "very honest" conversation about the future of the franchise.
Jackson has some options this offseason. With at least $18 million to spend on free agents and a coaching vacancy to fill, New York could be in line for a vast improvement next season.
The first order of business will be finding a head coach, and Jackson confirmed Thursday that interim coach Kurt Rambis will interview for the vacancy. Jackson also suggested that he will speak to other candidates before making a decision.
"People I probably know will be in the interview process," Jackson said. "I will reach out to make connections to some people. But I've been in this position, in the NBA, over 50 years. And I've seen a lot of situations where coaches end up coming in without [being] simpatico with the general manager, and those things don't work well. So someone who has compatibility with what I do as a leader would have to be in sync with what we do."
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Anthony, a 13-year veteran, has a no-trade clause in his contract and has no desire to leave New York at this time.
"As of right now, I'll be here," he said. "No conversation has taken place as far as me leaving or me wanting to leave. I think everybody knows how I feel about being here with this organization in New York, playing for the Knicks. I think nobody should question that."
Point guard is the biggest need for the Knicks, so Grizzles guard Mike Conley could be a good start. Raptors All-Star DeMar DeRozan could also be an option.
Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Andre Drummond are the top prizes, but Drummond and James are expected to re-sign with their current teams while Durant might be too expensive for the Knicks if they plan on filling other needs.