The New York Knicks are aiming to bounce back. The team has suffered a few down seasons and they are well aware that in order to begin to build a more marquee team, they must win. As the 2015 season is set to kickoff with training camp in a matter of days, the pressure is high in New York as Carmelo Anthony stresses that he is healthy and confident in the season ahead.
Much has been made about Anthony this offseason. After a lackluster draft and free agency run, rumors ran wild that Anthony was not happy with the franchise or team president Phil Jackson as some believed he would eventually demand a trade if this upcoming year was much of the same for the Knicks. However, speaking with the media, Anthony says he is healthy and ready to play.
"I'm back. I'm there, I'm back. I feel like myself again," Anthony said, via ESPN.com. "Mentally, physically I feel great. So I'm just ready to go." "I feel like I'm ready to go. I feel like I felt before I even had the injury. Physically I feel great, mentally I feel great. I'm just ready to get out there and get this thing going. I've been waiting for this since February."
Naturally, Anthony was asked about all of the offseason moves made for the Knicks. Reports surfaced that Anthony did not like the drafting of Kristaps Porzingis and he was disappointed at the negotiations for LaMarcus Aldridge. Instead, the Knicks signed Arron Affalo, Derrick Williams and Robin Lopez to add to the mix and the small forward stresses that he is fine with the additions. While admitting that the Knicks did not get the stars he was hoping for, he believes this is a roster built to win.
"I liked the moves that we made," Anthony said. "Was it the stars that we wanted to go after and go get? No. But the pieces that we got, I'm really intrigued at what we did and where we can go with this team."
One player Anthony is high on is Porzingis. According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, the two players worked out a lot during the offseason and Anthony raved about the new addition to the media. Porzingis is expected to battle with Williams for the starting spot, while Lopez takes over at center. According to Jackson, the addition of Lopez will open up the court for Anthony and allow him to play different spots for the team.
One of the reasons why we really thought Robin would be the best fit for us as a center was that it would allow us to be more flexible as a team and Carmelo can play more of a '4'," Jackson said, via ESPN.com. "As opposed to maybe a Greg Monroe who is not the same size, not the same defensive player."
There are still questions that need answering. Many doubt the addition of Afflalo while the starting point guard must be decided. Jackson told the media he will be more involved this season unlike last year and is hoping the Knicks can pull things together so the real rebuilding can start.
