Jeff Hornacek isn’t fazed by the non-feud between New York Knicks president Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony.
Things were weird for a minute. Jackson talked about Anthony being a ball-stopper, then Melo basically called him out on Instagram and via the media. The two apparently hashed stuff out, but the exchange was bizarre—hardly indicative of a typical relationship between a player and team president.
None of this really bothers Jeff Hornacek, though. As he told USA Today‘s Sam Amick:
Q: I always wonder, does it put you in a tough, awkward spot when this stuff with Phil and Melo flares up every so often, where you become the man in the middle and guys are asking you about it?
A: “Yeah, I mean it happens. I think that’s the understanding in New York, that things get blown up probably more than a comment here or a comment there, which is probably meaningless, turns into something big. So you roll with the punches.”
Roll with the punches indeed.
This whole thing between Jackson and Anthony shouldn’t put Hornacek in a particularly difficult situation. Jackson is an exception to most team presidents, and it’s not like he was disparaging a fringe roster player. Anthony is a superstar, and even if Jackson had the most negative view possible of his cornerstone, Hornacek needn’t worry about being reprimanded for making him a prominent part of the rotation.
Of course, it’s borderline hysterical that Hornacek basically says you expect this in New York. He could be talking about the nature of the concrete jungle—the brutality of an unrelenting city filled with unforgiving fans and media members.
Or, more likely, his words are a nod, even if an inadvertent one, to the fact that the Knicks are a circus act, especially under the outspoken Jackson, and you need to expect antics whenever you’re immersed in such a comprehensive sideshow.
