Knicks Links: Carmelo, Mills, Woodson, Smith

There was no shortage of Knicks-related headlines yesterday, as the team officially announced multiple camp invitees and exercised Mike Woodson's 2014/15 option. We also rounded up a few notable quotes from new GM Steve Mills, and heard that Kobe Bryant may play a role in Carmelo Anthony's free agency. This morning, we have a few more tidbits left over from Media Day in New York, so let's check out those links….

  • Anthony's teammates may believe he's not going anywhere next summer, and Carmelo himself hasn't suggested he's looking to bolt in free agency, but the Knicks can't take any chances, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com, suggesting that the team needs to position itself to add more complementary pieces around its star.
  • With the Knicks selling their front office shake-up as a change in direction, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com came away from yesterday's presser wondering if (and how) Mills is more capable of keeping Anthony happy than Glen Grunwald would have been.
  • Mills suggested that his use of analytics was part of the reason he was hired by James Dolan to replace the more old-school Grunwald. Given the restrictive nature of the new CBA for taxpaying teams, it's crucial for the team to find value wherever it can, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Sulia).
  • The decision to pick up Woodson's option will ensure that it's not a lame-duck season for the Knicks head coach, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee he'll remain with the team for that 2014/15 season, as Berman writes in a piece for the Post.
  • J.R. Smith explained to reporters, including Al Iannazzone of Newsday, that putting off knee surgeries until after he had signed a new contract was a "family decision."

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