NBA

Anthony: Knicks don’t need to make any trades

Carmelo Anthony reiterated that it’s nonsense if Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald makes a deal at the Feb. 21 trade deadline.

“I love this team, I love the chemistry on this team — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’’ Anthony said last night at the Knicks’ charity bowling event for the Garden of Dreams Foundation. “Right now we’re tops in our division. That was one of our goals. Second in the Eastern Conference, we’ll take that right now. There’s always a lot of talk around the Knicks come trade time. We don’t need that.’’

When asked about the Iman Shumpert trade talks Sunday, Anthony said, “The Knicks shouldn’t even be talking about trades.’’

Last night, he added, “We have to focus in on just basketball. In the past, there’s been distractions on the team. Now everybody’s having so much fun out there.’’

It’s still unlikely Shumpert gets moved, but Grunwald is exploring possibilities. His ears could be even more open following Sunday’s discouraging loss to the Clippers, who looked the more talented team.

According to a source, the Rockets’ director of scouting attended Sunday’s game, but he may have been checking out more than Shumpert, who may not be back to his old self until next season as he returns from ACL surgery.

The Knicks listened to a Phoenix offer in which they would receive Jared Dudley and a first-round pick. The Suns have been interested in Shumpert since July, when they asked for him in a sign-and-trade package for Steve Nash. The Knicks refused to make the second-year guard available.

“I learned really quickly in this league, you let the people do their jobs,’’ Jason Kidd said. “The front office, if they think something is needed, they’ll do it.

“With the team we have right now, we feel we can compete with the best.’’

If he’s not moved, Shumpert could be headed out of the starting lineup after this weekend’s All-Star break. Anthony has become close friends with Shumpert and realizes patience is needed with him.

“The injuries like that take time,’’ Anthony said. “He knows that. We know that. He gets frustrated sometimes. I could see that. I talk to him and hear about it. Most important is that we got guys who will help him through it. We know that’s going to take some time. We just need him to give us what he can give us at this point.’’

Coach Mike Woodson will have plenty to think about on his upcoming Caribbean weekend. The biggest question is how to get Shumpert back to his rookie-season form.

Woodson has said he has options with his starting lineup if the Raymond Felton-Shumpert-Kidd troika doesn’t work. One of them is removing Shumpert in favor of veteran swingman Ronnie Brewer, who started in the small ball alignment in November and December when the Knicks were at their best. Brewer slumped with his 3-point shooting after a fast start and it affected his defense. Eventually, Brewer wound up out of the rotation.

Physically, he doesn’t look the same on either end and Woodson admitted he’s not as mobile or quick post-surgery.

So far Woodson is being extra patient with Shumpert, but Sunday’s critical loss to the Clippers exposed the Knicks as perhaps no longer a serious title contender. Shumpert’s return was a key in whether the Knicks could dethrone the Heat.

“His lateral movement is not where I think it should be,’’ Woodson said. “His timing is off a bit. He’s not playing big minutes. He’s still on restrictive minutes. He’ll be fine. When it counts, he’ll be there.’’

An elite defender as a rookie, he tore his ACL in the first game of the Miami playoff series and it was a big reason the Knicks weren’t competitive. He could be the X-factor in another Miami series as the perimeter defender on Dwyane Wade or LeBron James.

Shumpert has been a disaster offensively, too, going scoreless in Minnesota on Friday and scoring two points vs. the Clippers. Shumpert said adjusting to small forward and being left in the deep corner for 3-pointers has been tough.

“He’s not getting into the flow and it’s just not about his offense,’’ Woodson said. “We didn’t rely on Iman scoring a lot of points last year. He’s still a rookie still trying to figure out this league.”