NBA teams
Ian Begley, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Melo will be 'patient' with Knicks

NBA, New York Knicks

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Carmelo Anthony said Monday that he decided to re-sign with the New York Knicks, in part, to take care of "unfinished business."

The Knicks haven't advanced past the second round of the postseason since trading for Anthony in 2011. They failed to make the playoffs last season after winning just 37 games.

Anthony tested free agency over the summer and opted to sign a five-year, $124 million deal with the Knicks.

"I kind of forced my way to New York [in 2011], and I have some unfinished business to take care of," Anthony said Monday during the Knicks' media day. "I wouldn't have felt right from a personal standpoint, just getting up and leaving."

Anthony acknowledged Monday that some of his other suitors -- such as the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets -- may have given him a better chance to win a title in the immediate future. But Anthony said he is willing to wait through the process of building a championship contender in New York.

"I'm willing to be patient," he said. "Now how long [am] I willing to be patient? I can't tell you that. But I'm willing to be patient, I'm willing to take risks, I'm willing to take that chance."

The Knicks offered Anthony the longest and most lucrative contract in free agency. The Lakers were prepared to offer Anthony a max contract of $97 million over four years. The Bulls did not have enough cap space to make a similar offer but could have offered Anthony a max contract worth the same as the Lakers via a sign-and-trade.

Anthony reiterated Monday that he faced a difficult decision over the summer, particularly because the Knicks appear to be at least one season away from being a serious contender.

"From a basketball standpoint, maybe it wouldn't have been maybe the greatest thing to do [to stay with the Knicks]," Anthony said. "But for me personally, I wouldn't have felt right with myself knowing that I wanted to come here [in 2011]."

Anthony said he is optimistic about playing in the triangle offense under new coach Derek Fisher. The offense was a staple of team president Phil Jackson's championship teams in Chicago and Los Angeles.

"I think this new situation, new system will, I think it's going to enhance my game, it's going to enhance my teammates' game. And as a whole, we're going to be successful," Anthony said. "My thing is I want to embrace what Phil and Derek are doing. I want them to know that I'm in, I'm embracing this challenge.

"I know from being a student of the game and watching and knowing the history that it will work. It takes time. Nothing happens overnight, but it will work. As long as I'm patient with that, then everything else is irrelevant."

Anthony said he has spoken to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen and others about the nuances of playing in the triangle offense.

Throughout his career, Anthony has thrived in isolation sets. The triangle, though, is predicated on constant ball and player movement. There is an assumption that Anthony will have to tweak his approach for the offense to work well.

"The information that I've gotten from them guys, I'm just taking that in, sealing that into a bottle and applying that to my everyday game," Anthony said of his conversations with Jordan, Bryant and Pippen. "That's why ... I'm excited about being in the triangle, I'm excited about coming to the Knicks, I'm excited about the opportunity that we have as a team, being with the new system, being with the new coaches.

"Overall I'm excited and I feel happy again. I feel at ease. Like I said, I have a lot of clarity and I'm in a good place and I can't wait to get it going."

Anthony also said that there is a "new level of focus" around the organization due to Jackson and Fisher's arrival. He agrees with Jackson's prediction that the Knicks can make the playoffs this season.

"Knowing the pain and what I endured last year and what we felt as a team -- we don't want to go down that lane no more, we don't want to feel that pain again," Anthony said. "I've seen and I saw this offseason the amount of time my teammates put in the gym to work on what they needed to work on. I think everybody is just ready to take that next step and make that change."

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