Carmelo Anthony has come under a lot of heat this offseason in terms of his happiness with the New York Knicks. It was well documented that the team did not have the free agency run they were hoping for while deemed the NBA Draft a disappointment. Sources were reporting left and right that Anthony felt betrayed by Phil Jackson and was not liking the direction the franchise was headed. Now players are coming out in support of the star as things begin to wrap up and the focus shifts towards the upcoming year.
ESPN's Chris Broussard got the ball rolling when he reported that Anthony was not happy when the Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis. Now Walt Frazier is telling ESPN's Ian Begley that he would not be surprised if Anthony asks out of New York if the Knicks put forth another disappointing year. Anthony is in the prime of his career as he enters the second year of a massive contract signed in free agency. However, newly-signed Arron Afflalo is defending Anthony saying he is fully committed to the team.
"He's very committed. He seems very, very hungry to succeed," Afflalo said, via ESPN.com."I know they value his opinion here in the organization. He was a big part of me getting here. I'm extremely excited to play with him. I know he's excited that I'm here and we're going to make it work."
According to Begley, Afflalo and Anthony have been working out together this offseason in order to begin studying the triangle offense. The Knicks have added a lot of players to the roster in recent weeks and could still add more talent. According to Sam Amico, Norris Cole is an option in New York in order to help Langston Galloway, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon. Galloway has a partially-guaranteed contract and Cole could be viewed as a major upgrade from the second-year player.
Carlos Boozer is still gaining attention for the Knicks as they have roster spots to spare. The Knicks did just sign Kevin Seraphin to a one-year contract, but is really guaranteed nothing if it does not work out. Boozer is a good scoring threat while bringing defense off the bench. He would be a rotational player to fill in for Robin Lopez. When compared to Seraphin, Boozer is the upgrade, but he could be demanding a contract that the cash-strapped Knicks simply cannot afford.
