Phil Jackson would often do this with Kobe Bryant and his Laker players as well. It's not a big deal if you're about winning. Kobe used to take this and use it as motivation to be a greater player. Kobe hated Phil at one point. Yet Kobe stepped up. Responded. Greatness. He demanded a trade when he felt the Lakers management weren't doing enough. Melo? Complete 180. He has the talent to be in the Kobe role. He can easily give a team 24 points, 5 assists and play hard on defense. It's about commitment, Melo is only committed to the lifestyle. Not the game. Look at his body. So many years into the league and he still does not make himself fitter, to be able to play hard on both sides of the ball. The team is losing every year, before Phil even came to the picture. Melo doesn't care about that. He justifies it as being able to win 3 gold medals. Sorry, Melo. You need to win in the NBA too. Easy to be a killer on a team with 10 all stars against weaker international comp. Even though Melo is every bit a killer talent wise and skill wise in international comp as a stretch 4. As a Knick, as a leader, as the franchise player, only a really really confused lost fan would support Melo's justification over Phil's.
Since Phil has come to us, the team has begun to value draft picks and picking up young unknown players through scouting. Kristaps. Willy. Kuz. Gallo. Lance Thomas. O'Quinn. Plumlee. Baker. Now all may not work out, but we're seeing consistency in valuing the draft and valuing picking up players on scouting and youth versus being NBA established names. The franchise has all it's picks from here on out. They have a maximum capspace slot this offseason if they choose (and can clear more easily by moving some pieces that are easy to move as Lee, O'Quinn, Thomas).
I'm not saying Phil is perfect or right, but he has 11 championships. He is set for life. He came back to the Knicks out of love for his time here as a winner. He is about bringing this franchise back to greatness. He will do it through the draft or position us with to select good young players. It may take 5-6 years from his time coming here to see it, but it will happen. Melo? Look I like him. I really do. He's a nice guy. Chill. Great scorer. But he knows virtually nothing about being a leader on a good team. All his teams that were any good, had someone else leading it. Kidd in the lone year they were any good in NY. Billups in Denver. To credit NY management they even tried to get Melo that in Rose, but their chemistry is more like Melo's with Iverson in Denver than it is Billups or Kidd.
I have thought about this alot over the last week. I think Phil is right on this one. Melo has to go. He can't say it directly to Melo because the season is still going on and you won't get a good Melo trade midseason. This is something that can be done in the offseason. So in the current have to stay in the moment focus on the season. However it is 100% in our best interests to deal Melo. We tried to make a run with him, Rose, Lee, KP, Noah. It just didn't pan out. We can not keep trying to make these sort of runs. We tried with other management as well. Atleast Phil was smart enough to not deal his draft picks to build around Melo or make a run with Melo. Quite the opposite. He invested in vets that have not delivered but he used his means to draft KP, Willy and bring in young rookie players like Kuz, Baker, Plumlee. The team needs to hit the lottery hard this year, get some major young talent and it needs to trade Melo for players that are in their prime with prime years ahead (27 or younger). Doesn't have to be a star, it can be role players.