New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony sounded happy with the new offense being installed by team president Phil Jackson. Anthony said the triangle offense puts less pressure on him and makes everybody on the court a better player, leading him to believe people will be surprised by what they see this season from the Knicks.
Anthony had to carry the load in every game last season, but that might not be the case anymore. The perennial All-Star said Jackson's new offense would make it easier for him this season by giving his teammates better opportunities to make plays and score.
"It will be less pressure on me," Anthony said Saturday after practice, via Newsday. "I can see that now in training camp. I feel that. I can see what we're able to do with the little bit of time we've been together this week. I see other guys' roles and how they're implemented into the system and what they're capable of doing. I think it'll be easier. It's still going to be a dogfight, but I think it'll be a little bit easier where everybody is not keying in and focusing on me every single time down the court."
"It is wide open for everybody," Anthony added. "It makes me a better player, makes everybody a better player, makes us smarter, makes us make the right decisions. I think we're going to surprise a lot of people with the way we play."
While the triangle offense is a step in the right direction, Anthony still wants something else: an All-Star teammate.
"For this season right now, we have what we have," he said. "We're going to deal with that. That was a big discussions with me and Phil talking about - that was one of my things. I didn't want to have to do it night in and night out. I wanted some nights when somebody else can pick up the load."
New York doesn't have any cap flexibility for this season, and they don't have any assets to entice another team into a big trade. Anthony will have to grind out another season, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel: the Knicks will have a lot of cap space next summer, when they can make a splash in free agency and bring in another big-name talent.
The free agent class in July could include names like Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic, Greg Monroe, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson.
