Melo Downplays Reports, Talks Up Porzingis; Knicks Mulling Lin?
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Carmelo Anthony says he's excited to get to work with rookie Kristaps Porzingis, despite reports that he's upset with the New York Knicks' performance on draft night.
"I really love him," Anthony told a TMZ cameraman of the 19-year-old Latvian on Sunday. "I'm gonna get with him tomorrow."
On Instagram, Anthony said Porzingis was a "steal" with the fourth overall pick.
But reports said Anthony was fuming over the selection of the European 7-footer, whose development could take years. Melo, without a title at 31, has four seasons left on his deal after re-signing with the Knicks last summer.
"I (was) talking to my sources last night," ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said Friday on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio. "All they said was, he's furious. He's livid. He feels completely hoodwinked and betrayed by (Knicks president) Phil Jackson."
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported via Twitter that Anthony griped about the moves to Tim Hardaway Jr., who the Knicks traded for the rights to first-rounder Jerian Grant.
Next season should be interesting. Which brings us to...
RETURN OF LINSANITY?
The Knicks, after setting a franchise record with 65 losses in 2014-15, could be mulling a reunion with free-agent guard Jeremy Lin, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
Lin, 26, went from a little-known Harvard alum to international sensation with New York in Feb. 2012. But he underwent knee surgery before the season was through and signed with the Houston Rockets when the Knicks declined to match their offer. Lin was traded two years later and averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 assists in 2014-15 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
