Sources: Carmelo frustrated with Porzingis pick
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony expressed displeasure Thursday night with team president Phil Jackson’s decision to draft Kristaps Porzingis, league sources confirmed to ESPN.
Anthony, in a phone conversation with former teammate Tim Hardaway Jr., who was traded to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, questioned Jackson’s decision to select the 19-year-old Porzingis due to the possibility that he may not be ready to contribute immediately, sources said.
The Daily News first reported Anthony’s displeasure with the pick.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said Friday that people around Anthony said he was “furious” with Jackson’s decision.
“I [was] talking to my sources last night. All they said was, he’s furious, he’s livid. He feels completely hoodwinked and betrayed by Phil Jackson,” Smith said on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio. “He feels like he was lied to, like he was sold a bill of goods. And he’s willing to concede that he wanted his money. But he didn’t know it was going to be like this. He didn’t know it was going to be this bad. And he can’t believe that his second season under the Phil Jackson regime, he has to look forward to it being worse than even last year was.”
Jackson said Friday that he texted with Anthony on Thursday night about the pick but didn’t reveal the tone of Anthony’s responses.
He added that he considered Anthony, 31, when making the pick.
“Carmelo is always on my mind. He’s our favorite son. At this point in his life, that’s the way it should be. But the second-most important thing is what we do for this franchise,” Jackson said. “And that has to be a consideration. And I let Melo know that as we made this choice. He actually sat in during KP’s workout for a few minutes. … We anticipate it’s going to be [a significant period of development] regardless of whether we have a 19-year-old KP or a 19-year-old whomever. They’re still young players.”
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