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Carmelo Anthony spent much of his career as a member of the New York Knicks, and the organization is interested in potentially bringing back the veteran forward. Anthony has been on Leon Rose’s radar since he became team president earlier this year, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Anthony and Rose have a history, as Anthony was one of Rose’s main clients when he was an agent. Most recently, Rose helped Anthony land with the Portland Trail Blazers late last year.
From Berman:
According to sources, Anthony has been on Rose’s radar since he assumed the presidency in early March. Rose is Anthony’s former primary client at Creative Artists Agency. Other connections include Anthony pushing for Thibodeau to become Knicks coach in 2014 and newly hired assistant Woodson got Anthony to play his best two-way ball in the 2012-13 season.
It also makes sense because the Knicks don’t have a clear starting forward. The Knicks also need an outside shooting forward after Julius Randle fell back from deep last season.
Anthony will be a free agent this past season, and while the Knicks may be interested in Anthony, that interest is not necessarily mutual. After the Portland Trail Blazers were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the postseason, Anthony made it very clear that he would like to be back in Portland next season, as he feels he has found a home there.
“I pray that it can be Portland,” Anthony said of his future in the NBA, via The Athletic. “Honestly, thank God I found a home in Portland. I felt comfortable with the organization. I felt comfortable with the guys on the team. They felt comfortable with me … At this point in my career, I think that’s the best. best situation for me. Especially to have this experience now and just get my feet wet, come in and be who I am and be true to myself. I really hope it can be Portland at the end of the day where we give ourselves a chance to hold this together team, get the guys healthy and have another race.
“As long as you find a situation that is comfortable for you and allows you to be who you are, you want to stay in that situation,” Anthony added. “There is no need to try different things when something is working.”
Anthony said he will always appreciate the Blazers as an organization for taking a chance on him last year when other organizations weren’t willing to. Anthony was out of the NBA for more than a year when the Blazers signed him, and he said he gained a new appreciation for the game during that time.
“Being able to get another shot at this game – Portland if you mean ‘revive’ is the word – it allowed me to come in and be myself and who I am,” Anthony said. “So I will always appreciate it. Being on this team, I have learned a lot. Being out of the game for a year, then coming back and having a different perspective on things, a different appreciation, but also an energy. That free time forced me. to tap into something else, to dig deep into the well, from a mental point of view. ”
Anthony’s Blazers teammates would also like him to stay in Portland.
“We’re grateful to have him,” Blazers guard CJ McCollum said of Anthony. “Hopefully I can come back next year, but once again, that’s above my salary level. If it were up to me, I’d like to play with him for the rest of his career, but I think that’s to be determined.”
At the end of the day, Anthony’s future in the NBA will likely be determined by money. Anthony signed with the Blazers at a minimum this season. If you’re willing to accept that again, or close to it, Portland will likely welcome you with open arms. However, if Anthony is looking for a bigger payday, he might have to look elsewhere. At that point, the Knicks could swoop in and look to lure their former All-Star back to New York.
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