NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo, Phil Jackson Latest Feud Means Deal In The Works?

Though he’s been linked to deals involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, as far as New York Knicks forward and superstar Carmelo Anthony was concerned he may not have to leave the Big Apple at all. He just has to wait for team president Phil Jackson to get fired or skip town, the New York Post reported Thursday.

According to the report, the 32-year-old Anthony told friends that he could use his no-trade clause and block any deal out of New York in order to see what Jackson may do at the end of the season. The former Lakers and Bulls coach can opt-out of his deal with the Knicks and move on from what’s been a largely disastrous time at the helm.

“He still feels it’s his team and still loves it here,’’ an unnamed source told The Post referencing Anthony.

The source also said that Anthony’s wife La La, who many felt pushed him to angle for a trade to New York back in 2010, is against leaving town even though the family does have a home in Los Angeles already.

The feud between Anthony and Jackson intensified earlier this week because of the latter’s Twitter account. Jackson told his more than 917,000 followers that an unfavorable Bleacher Report column “almost rings the bell” as it described Anthony as incapable of being the type of winning superstar that Jackson has wanted him to be.

Michael Graham was a budding stud at Georgetown in the mid-1980s beside future Knicks legend Patrick Ewing and he was later drafted by the Seattle Supersonics before his career flamed out in the Continental Basketball league under Jackson’s tutelage in Albany and later overseas.

Jackson did try to make nice with a follow-up tweet Thursday.

Anthony had a quick-witted response to Jackson’s first tweet.

“I definitely wasn’t Googling who Michael Graham was,’’ Anthony said. “I was upset he got the animal wrong. I’m not a cheetah. I’m black jaguar.

“I’m done asking why. I don’t need an explanation. I’m beyond the point of it bothering me.”

To date, Anthony has overall played well this season, averaging 23 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists while logging a career-low 33.8 minutes per game. But the individual success hasn’t translated into victories. New York has lost three straight games and gone 3-7 in its last 10 contests. The team was sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and 3.5 games back of the final playoff spot.