Shortly after Knicks president Phil Jackson suggested in his season-ending press conference that Carmelo Anthony would be “better off somewhere else,” National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts issued a statement objecting to Jackson’s comments, calling them “inappropriate” and voicing her concern to the NBA. With no sign that the league is planning to discipline Jackson for his comments, Roberts explained further to Harvey Araton of The Vertical why she’s unhappy with the situation.
“I think Phil was deliberately trying to shame ‘Melo out of the city,” Roberts said, adding that after she first heard Jackson’s comments, she would have “bet [her] pay check” on the Knicks president being sanctioned by the NBA. Now, she has all but given up on waiting for that to happen.
As Araton explains, Roberts pointed to a September 2015 incident for which Markieff Morris was fined $10K by the league after he tweeted, “My future is not in Phoenix.” The NBA called that tweet a “public statement detrimental to the NBA,” and Roberts feels that label should be applied to Jackson’s comments as well, particularly since they could send a dangerous precedent.
As Roberts puts it, there’s concern that it could become a larger issue down the road if “another GM gets it in his head that it’s OK to treat a player this way because Phil got away with it.”
“The comments do damage to the game because they devalue the player and makes the fans who buy tickets question the value of the investment,” Roberts said. “Our players understand that they can privately complain about how a team is managed but they cannot do it publicly without being subject to sanction. But it has to work both ways. If Phil tells ‘Melo in private that being in New York is not a good fit for him, that’s his right. But these comments were made in public, and it’s very disturbing because Phil gave him the no-trade clause and he has to respect it. He’s got to allow a player to make a decision for any reason – to win a ring, for money, home life, whatever.”
Although Roberts hasn’t spoken to Anthony directly about the issue, she tells Araton that there are NBA players who are “unhappy” that the NBA hasn’t responded to the situation. As for Carmelo, Roberts says she’ll give him space to handle the issue however he decides.
“I feel for ‘Melo, this is a tough time for him and I can only imagine how he’s feeling,” Roberts said. “I know he has been talking to some other people so I’ll let him sort it all out.”
She’s absolutely right. Phil should be fined as well as reprimanded. I doubt that it will happen however.
Phil probably said too much, but I don’t think it was inappropriate. He was merely suggesting that Melo, at this stage in his career, would be better off moving to a contending team. The Knicks want to rebuild, some keeping him in NY is not in the Knick’s best interest. However, I do blame Phil for not recognizing this prior to re-signing Melo to that ridiculous contract a few years ago.
I agree to a point that Phil should have recognized he was a lost cause.
My question is if he really should have? It was a mistake in hindsight but Melo has significant talent and Phil has gotten people to buy in and win in the past so thinking it might work with Melo wasn’t completely clueless. The Knicks were also terrible and letting Melo go for nothing would have been a PR disaster and very questionable in terms of just letting assets walk away for nothing.
While the no trade clause was clearly a mistake I think it was an honest effort to work things out with Melo. Phil asked him to get on board and in return he would give Melo a no trade clause so that if things didn’t work out Melo could have some control over where he went.
It was not offered as an assurance that Melo would never be traded. It was an attempt to show Melo respect and to make him a part of the group of people making decisions for the team. I don’t think anyone thought for one second that he would rather run the team into the ground and be here for every game of it instead of going to a playoff contender in the event things didn’t work out in NY.
The bottom line is it’s hard to assume people will be as self destructive as they often are. Melo has single handedly eliminated the possibility of a no trade clause ever being given to an NBA player in the future. He was trusted and given something of great value and instead of using it wisely he’s abused it to the detriment of the teams, himself and the players .
Melo has been shaming himself for years. Huge salary and attitude to boot.
However, I do agree that if players can’t whine publicly then the same should hold true for the front office.
Good god, who cares what Phil or Melo says at this point? Dwight Coward whined about not playing as much the other day and nobody said a thing.
Well you’re choosing to read the articles… and there was a whole piece on what Dwight said on here the other day, only whining here is yours.
I agree and hope Phil Jackson is the one that leaves N.Y.K cause all he’s created here is a Disaster and Problems 4 all players trying to run that stupid system, it won’t ever work in NY or anywhere else, unless u have the right players and we don’t have them. HE SUCKS
How do people like Roberts get jobs?
There are so many qualified people on unemployment and yet idiots like that are getting well paid to sound like idiots.
Melo is better off if he goes. Sorry the truth hurts so badly but it’s a simple and obvious fact. It doesn’t hurt the league and it doesn’t hurt the player. Worst case it hurts the Knicks because if only one team is willing to trade for him they might pay even less.
What hurts the league is guys making over 20 million dollars a year who refuse to play defense.
What hurts the league is a player getting a very rare no trade clause only to abuse it and focus more on hurting the team than advancing his career.
Idiots like this is why Unions have been crushed. Idiots like this hurt the people and the country.
Amen
Why won’t Jackson just pull the trigger and cut his ass and let him see if anyone will sign him for what he think he is worth
Phil Jackson…Below Average Player, Legendary Coach and Each With Day That Passes, is Establishing Himself as “The Worst Basketball Executive of All Time!!!”
Says the Jr blogger about the winningest person in the history of the NBA
Phil is the one who needs to leave
Yes, Phil shouldn’t have said that. But, well, the fact remains that Carmelo is an overpaid ball hog.
Phil Jackson is the Donald trump of the NBA
Hey emac22, I guess your a credible judge of people’s credentials on blogging.
You know where you can stick Phil’s triangle!!!
The man is a disaster at running this franchise.
He is also denting his winningest person status…
I wasn’t saying anyone had credentials. I was referring to being completely unqualified to pass judgement on anything basketball.
The team’s situation has improved so much it’s actually pretty stunning. Until you are able to recognize and acknowledge that fact you aren’t informed and honest enough to even have this conversation.
We can agree to disagree…
I watched him play on the Knicks as a player and season ticket holder in the seventies. I obviously watched his entire career as a coach. There is no debating he has been a winner of top caliber fame.
You can’t coach a team from the press box.
The comments he made, decreased Anthony’s trade value, period!
Signing Anthony to a no trade and Noah’s contract are huge mistakes.
I am, in fact, quite informed and watching with eyes wide open.
I hope you are too
Huge mistakes?
Do you really think anyone takes on a job as big as turning around the Knicks and doesn’t make mistakes? You either do nothing or you do something. The more you do the more mistakes you make.
It’s easy to look back and complain but are you really saying Phil should have started his term by letting Melo leave as a free agent with no return? I agree the result of the price he had to pay has proven to be a mistake but you aren’t always given a better option. Dismissing the possibility that a player with Melos ability might have been able to lead a team to a championship would have been verging on irresponsible. Especially for a team that had traded away #1 picks. It was a bad decision but I don’t see how you can honestly say he should have let Melo walk.
Both of your examples, Melo and Noah, are examples of situations that didn’t really have better alternatives. I also think people who dismiss Noah as such a terrible deal don’t really understand the value of what he brings both off the court, in the locker room and in terms of the extra effort he can get from teammates. He didn’t carry the team to the playoffs but he didn’t hurt the team. His contribution so far has been a lottery pick. Unless you are going deep into the playoffs a lottery pick in a deep draft is much better.
The cap situation is much better than it was when he got here. We have all of our picks, a lottery pick this year and a nice handful of good, cheap, young players. To have Phil insulted for getting here from where we were because he mistakenly bet on Melo being worth more than nothing or for bad free agent signing that in reality still just barely started and which has already paid several dividends doesn’t make sense. It’s like insulting a beautiful woman because she isn’t beautiful enough.
Without knowing what would happen what would you have done?
Who would you have signed instead of Noah?
Would you have let Melo walk or given him the no trade clause?
Final question. Do you think any GM’s thought Phil didn’t want to trade Melo before saying he thought he should accept a trade? While I agree that information impacts the price if there aren’t teams bidding against each other the information was already known.
Oh and let’s not forget…Its looks like KP doesn’t want any part of this anymore…