Carmelo Anthony
A return to New York just got a huge hit with the Knicks allegedly not interested due to Carmelo Anthony's lack of defense. Getty Images/Elsa

KEY POINTS

  • The Knicks are not interested in reuniting with Carmelo Anthony this season
  • The Knicks are wary of the defensive capability of Anthony
  • Anthony will have to wait and see if he will still get the call to play

The New York Knicks could use some added scoring punch with their current NBA season in total disarray.

Some free agents could fill that void, but it appears one sensible name has been stricken out.

Carmelo Anthony has been known to provide some scoring sock when needed on whichever team he plays for.

But at 38 years old, questions are in the air on whether the 10-time All-Star would be a good fit for teams banking on younger players.

One of those teams is the Knicks. Although they have somehow picked the pace, they could use a shot in the arm in the offense.

They are currently 13th overall in team scoring with 113.8 points per game and are 25th overall in field goal shooting with a 45.3% shooting clip.

New York is also at the 30th spot from beyond the arc with a 31.9% average, according to Fox Sports.

Anthony holds a 35.5% career average from beyond the arc and 44.7% from the field.

Despite those good numbers and a reunion between the Knicks and Anthony making sense, such does not appear to be on the horizon.

According to Steve Popper of Newsday, the Knicks do not believe that the 2013 NBA Scoring Champion would be a good fit for the team's 2022-23 campaign.

"Unlike the Phil Jackson era, when the front office tried to run Anthony out of town, his long-time agent, Rose, is running the show. His son, Kyan, is playing ball locally at Christ the King High School. So could he make one last farewell run through Madison Square Garden? Probably not. Anthony has been without a job this season, the second time this has happened to him in recent years," Popper stated.

Although Anthony was able to prove that he could still be of help on offense, he finds himself in a similar situation in 2019.

He was given the chance by the Portland Trail Blazers and joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021.

One concern is Anthony's defense. According to Statmuse, the third overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft holds a 108.6 defensive rating.

Hence, Anthony will just have to wait longer if he will still have a chance to still play NBA ball this 2022-23 NBA season.

Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony will just have to patiently wait a bit longer to see if he will still get a call to play in the NBA. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images