Carmelo Anthony emphatically insisted the Knicks are competing for the championship. Whether he actually believes it or not is another story, but he put on that facade Wednesday when telling reporters about his expectations for the season.
"S—, we're competing. People might not believe that, but we're definitely competing for that (championship)," Anthony proclaimed. "That's always going to be the goal. Whether we get there or not depends on us and what we're doing. That's always our big-picture goal."
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Knicks president Phil Jackson has already made it clear there are no expectations coming off a 17-win 2014-15 season, the worst in franchise history. But that doesn't matter to Anthony, who says he's fully healthy following midseason knee surgery and has lofty expectations for his squad — hardly a common belief.
The Knicks head into the season with a revamped lineup featuring newcomers Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, Kevin Seraphin and Kyle O'Quinn, along with draft picks Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant.
Second-year head coach Derek Fisher is also upbeat about the Knicks and their chances in 2015-16.
"We think that our group, as we figure some things out, will be more competitive than maybe what people think," Fisher added. "Rebuilding doesn't necessarily mean we're not trying to win right now."