Carmelo Anthony decided not to join the Knicks in November as a free agent, but said he thinks coach Tom Thibodeau has put them on the right track.
Anthony, 36, will be a free agent next summer again, and no one would be surprised if he stays with his former agent, Knicks President Leon Rose.
Anthony and the Trail Blazers will face the Knicks (10-13) in the empty Garden on Saturday for a matinee at 1pm. He saw firsthand the Knicks’ courage last month when they recovered in Portland from a 25-point deficit to scare the Blazers in the final minute.
“I think we all know what Thibs brings to the game, just his intensity, focus and attention to detail,” said Anthony on Friday at Zoom after a Blazers workout at the Garden. “Any team he has coached, they play the same way. They play hard. They leave everything out on the court. They never give up. They never give up. Regardless of the outcome, you see it with this young team that he has now. So you see the impact it has at the beginning, especially in the first 20 games of the season. ”
Although Anthony has a connection with two Knicks newbies, Obi Toppin from Brooklyn and Immanuel Quickley from the Baltimore area, he chose not to join Rose’s program. Anthony identifies with both Brooklyn and Baltimore.
Anthony once fought with fellow Brooklyn native Toppin in one of his games in Manhattan a few years ago, after Toppin’s first year in Dayton, when he was still relatively unknown.
“I think [Obi] came to my black op once, ” said Anthony. “I think he was still at Dayton when he came and played in the races. He was impressive at the races. Guys were talking about him, trying to find out who he was. And then when you watch him over the next year in Dayton, what he did, so we really put it all together, OK, that makes sense.
“But when I knew he was going to be among the best, this was a place that I feel I needed him, that is, New York. A great situation for him. Hometown guy. But also the way he plays and what he brings to the game. As soon as he starts to fully develop, I think this city will be happy. ”
Anthony has the scoring record in the new Garden with 62 points against Charlotte in 2014. (The real scoring record in the Garden is held by Elgin Baylor, who accumulated 71 points in the old arena in 1960.)
Anthony’s game 62 remains the precious night of a seven-year period of ups and downs – marked by a war with former team president Phil Jackson.
“It was different – especially me having to deal with it on a day-to-day basis and just accept it,” said Anthony, averaging 12.6 points for the Blazers, but hitting just 38.5 percent. “Never complain, come in and be a professional and be with my teammates and just play ball. I was still able to get on the court and block everything, I still tried to find a way to find joy in that and that eye of the storm. “
Anthony supported his friend LeBron James in saying that the improvised All-Star Game is not necessary, but added a qualifier.
“I don’t think it’s right,” said Anthony. “I don’t think we need this right now. I don’t really know the details that are going on with this, so if they think it’s the right thing to do, it’s the right thing to do. They know better, not me. ”
Thibodeau, who has praised Julius Randle’s leadership skills since the OTAs, said he had not yet named Randle the official captain.
“He is the veteran leader, but I want a team of leaders,” he said. “It’s more about doing the right thing every day. You want veterans to set an example and bring in young people. ”