CHICAGO _ As Derrick Rose makes his return to Chicago, his one regret is that he never won an NBA championship for his hometown team. Carmelo Anthony hopes he won't feel the same remorse whenever his Knicks career ends.
The Knicks are off to a bad start, 1-3 before Friday night's game against the Bulls and each defeat was by more than 13 points. Anthony posted something on Instagram that already is being dissected, but he said "don't overthink it." They were lyrics from a song by rapper Jeezy, and Anthony said he felt the words go with the picture he posted.
But after missing the playoffs the last three seasons, Anthony said it's frustrating that the Knicks look like a mess after acquiring four proven veterans _ Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings _ who were supposed to help end that postseason drought.
"It could get discouraging because to me personally it's like this is something that I've experienced before multiple times," Anthony said after the morning shootaround. "I know what that feeling is like. I don't want to experience that no more. So I think for me that's where the frustration comes from more than anything."
With the Knicks, it constantly seems to be a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same. The early season troubles have been attributed to a lack of familiarity, a lack of defense, too much focus on the triangle offense and too much one-on-one play.
"It's hard," Anthony said. "It's a thin line between that because I know what type of team we have and guys on our team, what our capabilities are. We're not there yet. It's a fine line of getting, controlling yourself, getting frustrated sometimes, but also understanding kind of the situation that we're in."
In his Instagram post, Anthony is hugging the basketball and under it, he has the Jeezy lyrics that include, "It's necessary to know that everybody won't see it, that everyone won't join you, that everyone won't have the same vision..." But Anthony said there was no hidden message.
"His album just came out," Anthony said. "Oh, please don't overthink it. It's too early for that. Just you know, I love the game. Please don't dissect that and overthink that. Please don't. It's too early for that."
The Knicks say they aren't panicking yet. They were in good spirits Friday. Rose and Noah smiled and spoke openly about their first games in Chicago as a visitor, how weird it was not being with the Bulls.
Chicago traded Rose to the Knicks in June, and let Noah walk in free agency. He signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Knicks in July. The Bulls will give both players a video tribute during the first quarter.
Rose, born and raised in Chicago, said he misses being home, and he hopes to accomplish with the Knicks what he couldn't do for the Bulls.
"It's my hometown," Rose said. "Of course I miss it. I haven't been gone from the city this long since college. So this is all new to me, but my biggest thing is just trying to win games in New York.
"I felt like I gave it my all. I really tried, and I had multiple times where I envisioned winning championships here, and it never happened. So I have to take those visions and take them to New York."
