NBA: Top Five Stories As The 2016-17 Stretch Run Begins

Feb 15, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) runs onto the floor prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) runs onto the floor prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
3 of 6
Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek and forward Carmelo Anthony (7) watch on during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek and forward Carmelo Anthony (7) watch on during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Melodrama

After the week that the New York Knicks organization has had, the drama surrounding Carmelo Anthony might be considered the least of their issues. However, it consumed the NBA for multiple weeks, and the rumors that surrounded the rift in the relationship between Melo and the Knicks set the league aflame.

I took a nosedive into the entire situation in the Big Apple, but I left out the specifics of the kickback from the Anthony trade rumors.

Grade the Trade: Knicks land Giannis Antetokounmpo in blockbuster pitch
Grade the Trade: Knicks land Giannis Antetokounmpo in blockbuster pitch

Daily Knicks

  • NBA Trades: This swing-for-the-fences deal is a must for the Knicks Hoops Habit
  • Ranking Leon Rose's three best and worst moves as Knicks President Hoops Habit
  • New York Knicks: Best move they did and didn't make Daily Knicks
  • 15 Way-too-early 2024 trade deadline candidates for Knicks to monitor Daily Knicks
  • Offseason Report Card: Knicks get two As and three Bs for summer moves Daily Knicks
  • Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson got into a word fight that resulted in a face-to-face meeting (which is where they should have started with the argument) and rumors that Melo was seeking a trade to get out of New York. There was no end to the possibilities of where a trade could have taken Anthony’s talents, but a no-trade clause in his contract made a deal difficult to speculate.

    The predicted return for the Knicks was all over the place. At one point a package centered around Austin Rivers was in the news, with Carmelo heading to Los Angeles; at other times Kevin Love was rumored to be shipped to the Big Apple, with Anthony teaming up alongside his friend, LeBron James.

    Eventually, Melo told the media that he wanted to stay in New York and play out the rest of his contract at Madison Square Garden. His statement may have ended his drama with the Knicks, but a new controversy was looming.

    Since the Knicks slid past the scruff with their franchise player, they began more drama, except it is now with former players. At last week’s game against the Clippers, Charles Oakley and Knicks Owner James Dolan were involved in a physical encounter that resulted in Oakley’s arrest. The Knicks PR team has since accused the former player of being an alcoholic and has hoped that he finds the “help that he deserves.”

    If there is one thing to count on as the season progresses, it is that there will be controversy surrounding the Knicks. There is always controversy surrounding the Knicks.