Melo on FA recruiting: Put me at head of table
Last summer, Carmelo Anthony wasn’t present for any of the New York Knicks‘ face-to-face meetings with free agents. That’s going to change this summer.
“Put me at the head of the table, and let’s go to work,” Anthony told reporters after the Knicks’ practice Monday in Denver.
The Knicks will have at least $18 million in cap space this summer, and Anthony wants to sell free agents on what it’s like to play in New York.
“If we want this team to be better, if we want more pieces of this team, I don’t have a choice but to go out there and do my job and try to get people to come,” he said. “And for them to see it from my perspective [more] than anybody else’s perspective — see it from a player’s perspective.”
Last summer, Anthony was mostly hands-off as Knicks president Phil Jackson, general manager Steve Mills and then-coach Derek Fisher met with free agents. The team missed on some of its targets (Greg Monroe, DeAndre Jordan) and signed center Robin Lopez, guard Arron Afflalo and forward Derrick Williams.
This summer, the Knicks’ record might hinder the club’s attempts to land some of the top free agents on the market, which will include Kevin Durant, Mike Conley and Al Horford.
One potential free agent, point guard Rajon Rondo, has made it known that he is hesitant to play in the Knicks’ triangle offense.
“The triangle’s not really a good look for me, I don’t think,” Rondo said last month.
Anthony disagrees. He told reporters Monday that Rondo would be a great fit in New York’s offense.
“I think Rondo — just me personally, I don’t want to be tampering — but I’ve heard he said he wouldn’t thrive in a system like this,” Anthony said. “I think he’d be perfect in a system like this.”
Anthony said it is a “misconception” for point guards to think they’ll be restricted by the Knicks’ triangle offense, which this season ranks in the bottom third in the league in pick-and-roll plays and points off drives.
“Some of the keys of our offense is penetration, getting in the paint, pushing the pace, transition, creating in the paint for bigs, for yourself, everybody else,” Anthony said. “I think a point guard would love that, especially a point guard who can penetrate, create for yourself, create for others. I think it’s a perfect opportunity for him.”
Jackson, Anthony and the Knicks will need to rely solely on trades and free agency to improve the roster this summer, as the club will send its 2016 first-round pick to Toronto as part of the 2013 trade for Andrea Bargnani.
Information from ESPN’s Ian Begley was used in this report.
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