The so-called “war of words” between Knicks president Phil Jackson and the team’s most talented player Carmelo Anthony isn’t a big deal. Even such tempestuous characters as Metta World Peace — a New Yorker who won a championship with Jackson — says it’s par for the course, and that Melo is handling Jackson’s backchannel digs like a pro.
Jackson told an interviewer that the Knicks offense sometimes bogs down when Anthony gets the ball. This “revelation” should shock no one who has actually seen the Knicks play, but the Knicks (14-10 ) are playing well — which is probably why Jackson chose to make his small criticism now. Every team can play better, so why not suggest a way? The fact is that Anthony is averaging 2.8 assists per game this year after dishing 4.2 last year. In fact Anthony has averaged three assists or better in each of his five full seasons with the Knicks except when he averaged just 2.6 dimes during the 2012-13 campaign, when he contributed his highest scoring average at 28.7 ppg.
