Carmelo Anthony says he is willing to take a pay cut to stay with the Knicks: “”Without a doubt,” Anthony said while in New Orleans for All Star weekend. “Any opportunity I have to build that up in New York, I’d do it. I told people all the time, always say, if it takes me taking a pay cut, I’ll be the first one on (Knicks owner) Mr. [James] Dolan’s steps saying: ‘Take my money and let’s build something strong over here.”’ Anthony has said that he plans to opt out of the final year of his contract to test free-agency this summer. He said on Friday that his “first priority” is to re-sign with the Knicks. If Anthony signs for the maximum allowed under the current rules of the collective bargaining agreement, his contract would be worth $129,135,806 over five seasons. “I’m going to make money, I have money. I’m good if I want to retire right now,” Anthony said in an interview with ESPN’s Sage Steele and Tim Legler on SportsCenter. He expanded on that in an interview with other media in New Orleans.”
“As far as the money, it don’t really matter to me,” Anthony said. “If I go somewhere else, I get paid. If I stay in New York, I get paid. As far as the money goes, it’s not my concern. My concern is to be able to compete on a high level, a championship level, coming in this last stretch of my career. I want to compete at that level. “
The Cleveland Cavaliers may look to add a sports agent to its front office: “Sources told ESPN.com this week that the Cavs have interest in trying to recruit Bartelstein into their management structure as other teams have done in recent years, most notably the Phoenix Suns’ hiring of Lon Babby and the Golden State Warriors’ hiring of Bob Myers. The Cavs, though, are not expected to pursue significant changes to their basketball department until after the season. And it’s believed within the industry that they would have little hope convincing Bartelstein to leave Chicago-based Priority Sports, which he founded and which represents numerous NFL players in addition to his basketball clientele. In the wake of last week’s dismissal of Chris Grant, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert elevated the widely respected David Griffin to acting general manager and have entrusted him with heading up their rest-of-the-season dealings.”
Would this be a mistake? Ken Berger reports Dan Gilbert is learning from his past mistakes: “The most interesting tidbit I’ve heard so far comes from another Ohio city, Cleveland, where the Cavs fired GM Chris Grant last week and will embark upon a serious search for a permanent replacement after the season. Owner Dan Gilbert, who attended Friday’s annual technology conference as a panelist, is determined to get this one right. Much is at stake. The Cavs are 3 1-2 seasons removed from LeBron James’ departure for Miami and have nothing to show for it. Well, not nothing. They have one extremely valuable asset to show for it: Kyrie Irving. Gilbert is ferocious in his determination not to lose Irving the way he lost LeBron, and league sources say the lessons learned from James’ decision to go to Miami in 2010 will be the guiding force behind his search for an executive to lead the franchise forward. Gilbert, according to sources, understands now very clearly why he lost LeBron. He didn’t lose him to Miami’s tropical weather, or to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Gilbert now understands that he lost James to Pat Riley.”
New NBA commissioner Adam Silver may consider extending the NBA All Star break: “The All Stars need an All-Star break. Even new NBA commissioner Adam Silver thinks so. Paul’s hectic Thursday schedule — arriving in the Big Easy at 5 a.m. after his Los Angeles Clippers’ game against Portland Wednesday night at Staples Center — was just a sample of what he faces over what essentially is a five-day commitment. Keep in mind, Paul also is the new president of the National Basketball Players Association, so he has a meeting to run Saturday afternoon squeezed in between all the basketball, commercial and charity events. Add travel time at both ends and it’s a grind. Like folks who really cram in the fun on their vacations, some of these guys need a breather from what, for most of the league’s players, actually is a bit of R&R.
“I definitely think it’s something that should happen,” Paul told NBA.com while attending a pep rally and press conference at a New Orleans grade school, where he was inducted into the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation ambassador program.
Blazers guard Damian Lillard does not see a problem with participating in every event during All Star weekend: “The Portland point guard is in five events this weekend. It starts with the Rising Stars challenge Friday night (you still call it the rookie/sophomore game). Saturday he’s in the Dunk Contest and the Three Point Contest and the Skills Challenge. Sunday he’s got a spot in the All-Star Game itself. That’s no break. Of course if you suggest to Lillard that’s too much he pretty much laughs at the idea. “I don’t see it problem,” Lillard said Friday when speaking to the media. “It’s not like I’m playing 35 hard minutes like I do for the Trail Blazers. However many minutes I play in the All-Star Game, it’s not like we’re gonna be picking up full court, or playing ball screen defense in the Rising Stars tonight. The other competitions are maybe five minutes a piece. So it’s not much effort or exertion like that. It’s a friendly competition.” It also helps that he is 23 years old. As players get older they cherish the weekend off more and more — when I asked Tony Parker if he tried to drag Tim Duncan to the game this weekend he laughed and said, “No way, he didn’t want to come and I couldn’t have changed his mind.””
Melo is FULL of it. He’d have to sign for nothing to bring Knicks team salary under 70 million. That’s the only way he could help with future.
Some how I don’t see Lala Vazquez going along with that. She’d probably prefer warm LA.
Knicks don’t have any flexibility to get better. They’ve already forfeited picks. Someone should teach Melo about the new CBA. If Melo wants to have chance for a championship, he should tell Dolan now, that he will go to Phoenix in free agency, if he isn’t traded to a contender before the 20th.