Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Turner, Blake

Carmelo Anthony wants the Knicks‘ next head coach to be a good communicator who can see things from the perspective of his players, as Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I think being able to hold guys accountable, but also having a relationship with the player,” Anthony said regarding what he wants to see from his next coach. “Kind of seeing things from a player’s perspective as well as a coach’s perspective. I think if you can build that camaraderie between a coach and a player, I think you’re onto something. You have to be willing to do that [seeing it from a players’ view], you have to be willing to accept that as a coach. It can be hard being a coach and accepting the fact that sometimes I have to see things from an athlete’s perspective, that can be hard. That’s like an ego play.”

The veteran scorer also reiterated his desire for the team to consult with him during its coaching search, Berman notes. “Because you gotta think about it: This is gonna be a long-term journey of playing and you consider me being part of that plan, then I would want to know what’s going on,’’ Anthony said.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

• Evan Turner is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and coach Brad Stevens would like the swingman to return to the Celtics next season, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe notes. “I love Evan Turner,” Stevens said. “I think he’s a great teammate. I think he’s a hard worker. I think he loves basketball. I don’t think you can overvalue that. He loves basketball, and he never once — we didn’t have two conversations about starting or not starting. It was never about him. It was always about how to help us put our best foot forward, and he knew his role in helping us do that.”
• Steve Blake, whom the Nets acquired last summer before shipping him to the Pistons for Quincy Miller, didn’t want to play for Brooklyn, and the team would likely have worked a buyout arrangement with him if it was unable to find a taker in the trade market, NetsDaily relays (on Twitter).
• The Sixers own the first-rounders of the Heat (No. 24) and Thunder (No. 26) in this year’s NBA draft, and given their need for outside shooters, they should consider nabbing French shooting guard Isaia Cordinier, St. Joe’s small forward DeAndre Bembry or Michigan swingman Caris LeVert with those selections, opines Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine in his weekly mailbag.