Carmelo Anthony could easily get out of the New York Knicks hole if he wanted to, but it doesn’t appear to be that way based on latest reports.

There are potential free agents mentioned who can take his place, but with Anthony planning to take a more active role in the offseason, all talk about that are not expected to take place until his current deal lapses.

Playoff Chances Squashed

The Knicks find themselves slipping away this season with a 38-40 mark. With only 14 games left, the Knicks’ hopes of making the playoffs have become void with the eighth seed stakes upped.

The Chicago Bulls are currently at eighth spot with a 33-32 card, meaning the Knicks need 15 wins to at least hope for a chance. If they do sweep their remaining games, the best number of wins they can reach is at 32 which will apparently be not enough.

Planning Ahead with Phil

With the season technically over for the Knicks, Anthony knows that the club needs to do something to turn things around. But a lot of it will have to be done by management though he intends to take an active role in the recruitment process.

"It's in their court. The ball is in their court," Anthony said. "They have an opportunity, we have an opportunity to do something this offseason. We gotta do something. It's there."

Jackson is upbeat on the team’s chances to snag quality players but with only $18 million in cap space available, such makes it impossible for the Knicks to go for a max-deal player.

Addressing Personnel Problem

A key player that the Knicks will be eyeing is a point guard. It has been time and again stressed that Jose Calderon is a good guard but not suited to what the Knicks actually need.

Names such as Mike Conley or even Rajon Rondo have cropped up though it remains to be seen if either would want to join a rebuilding club.

Anthony and Jackson did have discussions recently but the All-Star forward did not really elaborate on what they talked about.

"That was more coming from his side, him expressing that. So it felt good to kind of hear that," Anthony said.

Kobe Says Keep the Faith in Jackson

Jackson is someone who has been questioned on his ability to put up a winning team and someone who curiously bats for him is Kobe Bryant.

Everyone knows that Jackson and Bryant were instrumental with the Los Angeles Lakers and the “Black Mamba” reiterates that the “Zen Master” knows his stuff.

“What he does now is understanding personnel, picking the right personnel, but that's no different than what he did as a coach,” Bryant said. “As a coach he really broke down the players, understood the players. That's the same thing he does as a GM.

It could be premature to pass judgment on Jackson for now, but the thing is, the Knicks have to move and make wise moves.

Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis account for a promising frontline but guards are an obvious need. So who do they go after that fits their limited budget?