The New York Knicks have been rebuilding for the past few seasons, and have been stuck in a hole since re-signing Carmelo Anthony to his new massive contract a few summers ago.
The Knicks haven’t made the playoffs since re-signing their star small forward, and this offseason is huge for what happens to their team next season as well as Anthony’s future with them.
According to legendary basketball columnist Peter Vecsey, who appeared on the Brown and Scoop podcast on Play.it, Anthony could demand a trade.
If the Knicks decide to keep Kurt Rambis as their head coach, Vecsey says it’s a clear sign that they don’t plan to have the nine-time All-Star for their future. Anthony is likely to demand a trade if Rambis stays as the coach.
“That’s the belief,” Vecsey said. “The truth is Melo likes Rambis. I know that for a fact. He thinks he’s a good guy, but he doesn’t think he’s the coach they need to go further than they are right now. He’s not a good coach.
“He couldn’t coach a lick (in Minnesota). The mistakes he made, and the players used to mock him, the young players. … If they hire Kurt Rambis, I’m sure Melo is going to demand to be traded.”
Rambis took over as the interim coach of the Knicks after the team fired Derek Fisher in February. New York went 9-19 under Rambis to close out the season. Anthony, who will turn 32 years old at the end of this month, has three years left on his contract.
The Knicks have been linked to other head coaches. Frank Vogel came up as an option instantly after he got canned by the Indiana Pacers, but Vecsey says that he won’t be a great option for New York either.
“I’m going to throw up,” Vecsey said. “Everybody’s saying they’ve got to interview Vogel. Have they watched him coach? I don’t care what he did with the team. He should have done better with what he had, but mistakes galore in every series that he coached. And you watch him this year — God, how many times did he give the ball with the game on the line to Monta Ellis and not to his star player?”
This is going to shape up to be a major offseason for the Knicks, Phil Jackson and Melo.