Knicks Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Around Post-Mike D'Antoni Era

Things are getting wild in the Big Apple. Head coach Mike D'Antoni abruptly resigned on Wednesday, and that came shortly after a story broke about Carmelo Anthony wanting to be traded. 

Update: March 14 at 10:45 p.m. ET

Despite common speculation that the Knicks would be sprinting to the phone to try to lure Phil Jackson back to the bench to coach in New York, they have yet to contact him.

At least, according to a report by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein:

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Phil Jackson has not had any contact with the New York Knicks about their suddenly vacant coaching job, according to NBA coaching sources.

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If this is true, I don't know what they're waiting for. They should be doing everything they can to get Jackson on the Knicks' sideline. 

UPDATE: March 14, 6:38 p.m EST

According to New York Newsday's Al Iannazzone, D'Antoni relayed his decision to vice president of basketball operations Glen Grunwald early Wednesday:

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Glen Grunwald said D'Antoni went to him before shootaround and told him he was thinking about leaving.

— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) March 14, 2012"

UPDATE: March 14, 6:10 p.m EST

NBA.com's David Aldridge reveals that before D'Antoni resigned, he was pulling for some interesting moves:

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Source: D'Antoni wanted Melo-D-Wil trade, rebuffed by Dolan. Check out the Hang Time Blog, on NBA.com.

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) March 14, 2012"

CBS' Ken Berger gives us some interesting quotes from James Dolan's press conference:

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Dolan: "The season is not over and this team can still be the team that our fans hoped it could be."

— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) March 14, 2012"

New York Daily News' Frank Isola reports that D'Antoni and Dolan were in mutal agreement regarding today's decision:

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Dolan, via a statement, says he &D'Antoni “mutually agreed that it would be best for the organization if he did not continue" coaching.

— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) March 14, 2012"

Marc Beman of the New York Post dropped this bombshell early Wednesday morning:

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[Anthony] told a confidant he preferred to be traded before Thursday’s NBA deadline.

According to a person familiar with his thinking, Anthony’s disillusionment stems most from a belief coach Mike D’Antoni and interim GM Glen Grunwald do not trust him.

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There was a lot of room left in this report to doubt its legitimacy. And Carmelo himself certainly wasn't buying it. Brian Mahoney of NBC New York shared this quote from 'Melo when asked if he wanted to be traded:

"No, no, no, no. Let's nip this in the bud right now. No...I've only been here a year. I don't want to leave right now, so I'm here to stay."

That's about as emphatic as a player can be, and there is no good reason to think he is asking the Knicks to trade him. However, there certainly is a good chance that 'Melo's feelings led to D'Antoni resigning. 

ESPN added this insight on D'antoni's decision: 

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The coach's agent, Warren LeGarie, told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that the parting was "a mutual decision" because D'Antoni and the franchise have "conflicting views of the Knicks' future."

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It is easy to connect the dots and conclude that D'Antoni's resignation is a direct result of Anthony not being happy with him, and the Knicks organization then showing a far greater loyalty to the player than the coach. 

But, that is all speculation, and it likely always will be. What isn't speculation is that the slumping Knicks are in a market for a new coach, and the trade deadline is a day away. 

In other words, it could be a very interesting week for the Knicks. You can be sure they will continue to work the phone for any possibilities to improve their roster and likely are already trying to find a permanent replacement for D'Antoni. 

Sam Amick of SI.com brings up a couple of supremely interesting names as a replacement:

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While retired Lakers and Bulls coach Phil Jackson has frequently been named as a possible successor to D'Antoni, sources close to retired Utah coach Jerry Sloan say he would be interested in the position.

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Either of these guys would be excellent hires, but there is no doubt that the Knicks would be best off coercing the Zen Master out of retirement. If anyone can get this roster on the same page and playing together, it is Phil Jackson.