Doc Rivers: 'Nothing Going On' Between Clippers, Knicks Involving Carmelo Anthony
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Trade talks between the Knicks and Clippers involving Carmelo Anthony are quiet now, Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday.
Speaking at the Clippers' shootaround before Wednesday night's game at Madison Square Garden, Rivers told reporters there has been "nothing going on" recently between L.A. and the Knicks.
"I don't know. Call them (the Knicks)," Rivers said. "We don't have Carmelo. I swear to God we don't. He plays for the Knicks. So that's your story, and that's the way we leave it. You can ask us about our guys. Carmelo is not on our team."
The Clippers are among the three teams the Knicks have reportedly contacted to gauge their interest in Anthony -- the Cavaliers and Celtics are the others. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Clippers have expressed interest in the nine-time All-Star but are not willing to part with Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin or J.J. Redick.
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The Clippers did talk to the Knicks about a deal that would send combo guards Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford to New York, the L.A. Times reported.
The Knicks are reportedly trying to deal Anthony before the NBA's Feb. 23 trade deadline, but he would have to waive his no-trade clause.
The relationship between the star forward and team president Phil Jackson has been tumultuous this season. Jackson likely complicated matters further Tuesday by taking a veiled shot at Anthony on Twitter.
"Bleacher's Ding almost rings the bell, but I learned you don't change the spot on a leopard with Michael Graham in my CBA daze," Jackson wrote.
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The cryptic message appears to largely be endorsing a column published by Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding on Tuesday. In it, Ding writes that Jackson overestimated his own ability to convert Anthony from "superstar to winning superstar." The columnist suggests Anthony lacks the drive to win a championship.
Jackson's tweet also references Graham, a once-promising power forward out of Georgetown whom the "Zen Master" coached on the Continental Basketball Association's Albany Patroons in the 1980s. Graham lacked the discipline to make it in the NBA, and Jackson dismissed him from the team after the two got into an argument during a game.
