New York Knicks Roster & Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Not Involved in Recent Moves, Says Phil Jackson
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson confirmed that he did not let Carmelo Anthony influence the moves that they made over the past several weeks.
The Knicks, who are undergoing rebuilding under the multi-titled coach, added free agents Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams, Arron Afflalo and Kyle O'Quinn this offseason in the hope of recovering from disastrous year last season.
Aside from signing free agents, the Knicks, who had the second-worst record in the league last season at 17-65, selected Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 NBA Draft.
But unlike in other teams where their superstars have a say on the moves that they will make -- like LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers -- Jackson clarified that he did not talk to Anthony about their roster changes.
"How do we make a team that works together? That's the important aspect," Jackson told New York Daily News. "How this all comes together is still a mystery for us. We've got five months to kinda get into it here. Obviously Carmelo is a guy that is a premier player, we understand that. But it's a team game. And it has to fit together."
The Knicks reportedly targeted big-name free agents like LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Greg Monroe this offseason, but all three signed elsewhere. Aldridge, who was the most coveted free agent this summer, did not even grant the Knicks a chance to present their plan.
Jackson is aware of the criticisms against him for his failure to bring a top-caliber talent to play alongside Anthony, but he is not thinking of it too much. He understands the Knicks are not too attractive for superstars at this point, but he is confident things will change when they start winning next season.
"We need to win, be a competitive team," Jackson said. "I think we showed agents and players around the league a serious nature of what we're trying to get accomplished. People who know basketball will recognize that and we'll get people who want to come here."
Despite failing to make a big splash in free agent this summer, Jackson feels the team will improve with the moves they made this offseason because they players they got will bring impact on the defensive end of the floor and inside their locker room next season.
"I think everything went according to how we thought it would go," Jackson added. "There's some longshots out there that we took. But the reality was we wanted what we got."
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