Carmelo Anthony Comments on LeBron James, Departures of JR Smith, Iman Shumpert

New York Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony experienced a horrible year last season and saw two of his favorite teammates join LeBron James in Cleveland as the Cavaliers proceeded to go on a deep playoff run.

Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith were dealt to the Cavs in 2014-15 but won't play in Cleveland's matchup against New York on Wednesday. Anthony lamented their departures and current absences from the lineup ahead of tipoff at Quicken Loans Arena.

"I would love to play against my brothers. It seems like LeBron took all my family from me," said Anthony, per the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy.

Shumpert is still recovering from wrist surgery, while Smith is out for the next two games with a right knee bruise, according Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin.   

Interesting to note ahead of Wednesday's matchup is how Anthony has gotten the upper hand over James in the past, as ESPN Stats & Info highlighted:

That trend may continue with Cleveland missing two key pieces from its rotation. Nevertheless, it's easy to see why Anthony is a bit jealous of James and the marquee perimeter players he used to share company with in the Big Apple before Cavs general manager David Griffin took them away, to use Melo's words.

The Knicks are in the midst of a rebuilding project under team president Phil Jackson. Although the move to trade Smith and Shumpert last season hurt New York's results in the short term, it did position the team for a high draft pick, which it used to select talented Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4.

Between Anthony and promising rookies in Porzingis and point guard Jerian Grant, there is reason to believe the Knicks have a decent foundation for the future. Right now, though, James' Cavs are the prohibitive favorites in the Eastern Conference and figure to return to the NBA Finals.

At least to start the 2015-16 campaign, New York has shown signs of improvement with a 2-2 record and losses to top-flight teams in the Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs. Anthony scored 37 points in a victory over the Washington Wizards, who were a playoff team last season.

How New York fares in the future depends heavily on Anthony meshing well with new veteran teammates Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo, once he's healthy, along with the development of the young core.