Getty Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks looks on against the Brooklyn Nets.
Recently, rumors started circulating on Twitter suggesting that the New York Knicks are gearing up to bring back former franchise cornerstone and current free agent, Carmelo Anthony, for their upcoming playoff run.
However, in response to the noteworthy rumblings, Knicks insider Fred Katz shared his take on the matter on April 7 and subsequently shot down the hopes of a reunion happening any time soon.
“The report about the Knicks signing Melo for the final two days of the season is not true,” Katz said in response to a question on Twitter.
Carmelo Anthony reuniting with New York has been a hot talking point for a large portion of the Knicks’ fanbase for quite some time now.
There are even some league executives who informed Heavy Sports earlier this season that they would love to see such a transaction take place.
However, despite these desires, the 10-time NBA All-Star remains unsigned on the free agency market and, with just one game remaining in the regular season, it’s hard to envision Leon Rose and company making this storybook scenario a reality in 2022-23.
Damian Lillard Deems Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley as 6MOY
One of Carmelo Anthony’s former Portland Trail Blazers teammates has also been found circulating within the Knicks news cycle of late, as superstar Damian Lillard publically shared his thoughts on the current race for the League’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
On April 7, the star guard quote Re-Tweeted a Tweet that listed the current frontrunners for the illustrious honor, and, in turn, endorsed Immanuel Quickley as being the most deserving possible recipient.
Now in his third season in the association, Quickley is easily having himself a career-best season, as he’s sporting impressive averages of 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 44.9% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc.
As the regular season inches closer to its conclusion, it’s evident that, at this point, the Knicks guard and Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon are viewed as the two frontrunners for the high-profile accolade.
RJ Barrett ‘Felt Good’ Returning to Knicks Lineup
After having missed two straight games due to a lingering illness, fourth-year veteran RJ Barrett made his return to the hardwood Friday evening as the Knicks were in New Orleans facing the surging Pelicans.
Though New York wound up losing the contest by a final score of 113-105 and ended their winning streak at five games, the 22-year-old seemed to be in good spirits following the outing, telling reporters that he felt comfortable in his return to action.
“It felt good to get out there and just play again, especially after a couple of games [of absence],” Barrett said during his post-game media session. “So, I definitely needed it.”
The Knicks still found themselves without a full-strength lineup, as key starters Julius Randle (ankle), Jalen Brunson (right hand), and Mitchell Robinson (rest) were all sidelined for the affair, though Barrett made it clear during his media session that, regardless of who’s out on the floor, New York is “gonna fight every single game, give everything we got.”
The wing would finish the contest with a team-high 28 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.