Carmelo Anthony Comments on Meeting with Phil Jackson, Future with Knicks

One day after Phil Jackson met with Carmelo Anthony to discuss the nine-time All-Star's present and future with the New York Knicks, Anthony spoke about what happened between the two. 

"The conversation wasn't that long," Anthony said, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "We didn't break bread. We didn't have an hour's conversation. It was a short conversation."

ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne reported after the meeting between the two that Anthony "reaffirmed" his desire to be with the Knicks when Jackson asked him if he wanted to remain with the team.

As for Anthony's response on Wednesday, he did note having to answer questions about trade rumors getting to him.

"You get tired of it," he said. "I have to face you all every day. I'm the one that got to have all the answers. I'm the one that got to kind of make up something. Even when I don't want to talk to you all, I still talk to you all. It happens. That's part of the job."

Per Steve Popper of The Record, Anthony didn't have the warmest response when asked about being on the same page as Jackson: "We converse when we converse. We talk when we talk. Leave it at that."

Anthony also reiterated he doesn't want to pay attention to any trade rumors with his name attached: "I'm done asking why. My focus is playing ball at this point."

The Knicks have been in a month-long slump since getting off to a 16-13 start. They have lost 11 of their last 13 games and sit 2.5 games out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Anthony remains New York's leading scorer with 22.2 points per game and has a team-high 3.4 win shares, per Basketball-Reference.com, but the franchise hasn't made the playoffs since 2013. 

Kristaps Porzingis is steadily starting to take over the mantle as New York's best player. At 21 years old, he's 11 years younger than Anthony, so it would make sense for the franchise to rebuild around him as soon as possible. 

Anthony's no-trade clause makes it difficult for the Knicks to deal him, and he's under contract through next season with a player option for 2018-19. 

The rift between Anthony and Jackson is just the latest chapter in the Knicks' unique saga of remaining relevant headline material despite not being a factor in the playoff race.