STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Report: Melo Is Furious About the Knicks' Draft Pick

Stephen A. Smith says Carmelo Anthony feels hoodwinked by Phil Jackson.

New York Knicks fans booed when the franchise selected Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall selection of the NBA Draft on Thursday night.

Now, it seems like Knicks' superstar Carmelo Anthony shares in that same frustration. That was conveyed by Stephen A. Smith on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio on Friday, as reported by ESPN.

"I [was] talking to my sources last night. All they said was, [Anthony's] furious, he's livid. He feels completely hoodwinked and betrayed by [Knicks president] Phil Jackson," Smith said. "He feels like he was lied to, like he was sold a bill of goods. And he's willing to concede that he wanted his money. But he didn't know it was going to be like this. He didn't know it was going to be this bad. And he can't believe that his second season under the Phil Jackson regime, he has to look forward to it being worse than even last year was."

| CLICK HERE TO SEE TWITTER REACTION TO THE 2015 NBA DRAFT |

In drafting Porzingis, deemed by many to be a project who is going to take at least a couple years to develop, the Knicks passed on explosive point guard Emmanuel Mudiay and swingman Justise Winslow. The 2015-16 season will have the Knicks coming off their franchise-worst season (17-65), with Melo also returning from knee surgery.

Yet, Jackson told ESPN he text-messaged Anthony about the team choosing Porzingis.

"Carmelo is always on my mind. He's our favorite son. At this point in his life, that's the way it should be. But the second-most important thing is what we do for this franchise," Jackson said. "And that has to be a consideration. And I let Melo know that as we made this choice. He actually sat in during KP's workout for a few minutes. We anticipate it's going to be [a significant period of development] regardless of whether we have a 19-year-old KP or a 19-year-old whomever. They're still young players."

Wonder if Melo is so irate that he will consider waiving his no-trade clause. 

BET Sports News — Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports, including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.

(Photos from left: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images, Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.