Carmelo Anthony is anything but inoculated against the painful pangs of losing.
The New York Knicks are once again miles outside the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture, and after securing a postseason berth in each of his first 10 NBA seasons, Melo is on track to miss the Association’s spring dance for the third consecutive year.
And, per ESPN.com’s Ohm Youngmisuk, he readily admits that losing has taken its toll:
“It gets frustrating,” Anthony said after Tuesday’s home defeat. “The losing gets frustrating, disappointing. The way that we ended that game was disappointing. At that point [toward the end of the rout], I think my head was in the towel. I was just trying to breathe, just try to relax, kind of gather myself a little bit at that point.”
The Knicks have lost 15 of their last 18 games and, at times, appear to have checked out. They were 22-22 at one point and looked like a potential playoff team. Now it seems as if they’ll be sending a top-seven pick or something Toronto’s way.
As the rare team that both plays painfully slow and can’t defend, the Knicks are in a tough spot. They don’t have the chops to disrupt opposing offenses, and they don’t generate enough possessions to erase big leads.
Melo has a no-trade clause that has been the subject of incessant discussion—conversations that will continue well into the summer. If the Knicks are unable to land a marque free agent or two who, on paper, guarantees them a return to the postseason, expect the trade rumors to heat up and, perhaps, materialize into something real.
