DALLAS _ Carmelo Anthony didn't know all the details about LeBron James sounding off that the Cavaliers need to improve their personnel and get another playmaker. But that didn't stop Anthony from saying James wants to join forces with him.
But the Cavaliers may not want Anthony.
According to ESPN, the Knicks tried to engage the Cavaliers in a swap of Anthony for power forward Kevin Love, but Cleveland turned them down.
Anthony would have to approve any deal since he has a no-trade clause in his contract. He maintains that he's only focused on the Knicks.
But last week, Anthony told Newsday that if management came to him and said "they want to go in a different direction, they want to start rebuilding for the future" that he would "have to consider" waiving the no-trade.
Anthony made it clear before the Knicks played the Mavericks Wednesday night that he hasn't had any contact with the Knicks' front office since his meeting with team president Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills last week. He said "none" three times when asked if they talked.
In the meeting, Anthony told them he wants to remain with the Knicks. "It was a quick meeting," Anthony said. "That's all I can say."
It wouldn't be surprising if the struggling Knicks (20-26) tried to deal Anthony before the Feb. 23 trade deadline. But it would be difficult to pull off a trade since Anthony has a 15-percent trade-kicker in his contract.
On Monday, James put pressure on Cavs management to make moves to upgrade the roster in an expletive-laced interview following a 4-6 stretch during which the Cavaliers lost to the West's top two contenders, the Warriors and the Spurs.
A popular belief is that James was indirectly talking about Anthony, and that he wants the reigning NBA champs to bring in his good friend. Anthony didn't do anything to shoot that down.
"You ask me a question, do I think he would want me to play with him? Yes," Anthony said. "I do think he would want me to play with him. I don't think he wouldn't. But I don't know if that comment is about me. I don't think I'm the only playmaker in the NBA."
Anthony said he hasn't spoken to James recently and he's not considering playing in Cleveland.
"I don't think about it," Anthony said. "It's not something I think about right now, as far as me going to play with him. I don't think about that. I can't think about that right now."
But James said something that definitely could resonate with Anthony, and eventually lead him to waive his no-trade. James said he's going to be 33 next winter, "and I ain't got no time to waste." James has won three rings. Anthony will be 33 in May and hasn't been to the playoffs in three years.
"I don't think anybody wants to wait, to be honest with you," Anthony said. "I'm in a different situation than him. He's won, he's just coming off a championship, so for him to say he'll be 33 and he don't have time to wait he might have a different type of plan, a different goal, a different mindset of winning now and taking advantage of it."
Anthony said he wouldn't be "satisfied" if he didn't win a championship before his career ended, but he also said he's not ready to chase one yet.
"I don't think it would be called chasing a ring," Anthony said. "It would be looking at opportunities and situations if and when that time does come. It will be a collective effort on all fronts. Not just mine. It would be a collective effort on the organization and understanding the direction they want to go."
Anthony said the meeting with the front office didn't go into great depth. He said Jackson and Mills did most of the talking, and disputed an initial report that it was contentious.
"No, not at all," he said. "It definitely wasn't heated. There were three people in that meeting, so I don't know who would say it. I know it wasn't me who said it was heated or contentious. That definitely wasn't the vibe of the meeting or the conversation."
Anthony still wouldn't give many specifics about the meeting.
"We were talking about the triangle," Anthony said. "No, I'm just kidding."
