MIAMI — Carmelo Anthony said the Raymond Felton fiasco is beyond New York State law — it’s Murphy’s Law.
Anthony, attempting to decide whether to stick around New York for the long haul, reacted for the first time to Felton’s felony gun charges Thursday. He admitted it’s another distraction in the Knicks’ disappointing season. Felton was charged after his estranged wife’s lawyer brought the unlicensed firearm to the police following the Dallas loss Monday night and The Post has reported the Knicks starting point had allegedly threatened her with the weapon.
“It’s hard to reflect on it at this point,’’ Anthony said at the morning shootaround at AmericanAirlines Arena before the Knicks faced Miami. “We’re rolling with the punches, man. I was laughing [because] somebody was just saying it’s Murphy’s Law. Everything that could go wrong for us is going wrong for us.
“All that said, we still got to play basketball. Ray’s situation is his situation. He’s dealing with that. We support him. As far as this goes, we got to play basketball.’’
The Knicks, 15 games under .500 entering the game, faced LeBron James on national television with the club’s playoff hopes on the brink of extinction.
Felton’s legal situation can’t bode well for Anthony’s impending free agency decision this summer — perhaps another reason for him to bolt. Felton faces an uncertain future after this season as the point guard likely has lost any trade value he had remaining.
Asked if off-the-court issues will play a role in his decision, Anthony said, “A lot of options and things are going to be thought about when that time comes, off the court, on the court. A lot of things will have to be put out on the table.
“It can definitely be a distraction if you allow it to be,’’ Anthony said of the Felton incident. “I think the distraction is that you have to deal with it every day, asked about it and that’s a distraction. Coming here to the gym and arena, we need to come and leave all that stuff behind you for the 2 ¹/₂ hours we’re in there.
“It was sad to hear all the stuff that happened. Regardless of what happened, Ray, being one of my close friends, I got to support him and just hope for the best for him and hope everything works its way out. ‘’
Anthony has never missed the playoffs in his 10 NBA seasons, but said not making the postseason won’t be the sole determinant if he decides to leave. He said during All-Star weekend he’ll need to hear owner James Dolan’s long-term plan.
‘I don’t think about it like that, that I want to make the playoffs before I make that decision,” Anthony said. “That decision is going to happen regardless. That time is going to come. Me making the playoffs is something that I want to do, something that I never experienced before, not making the playoffs. That’s a different motivation. Coming into this season we felt like we could make the playoffs and we could do something. Unfortunately, we’re in this situation we’re in right now, fighting for our lives for a playoff spot. But us making the playoffs and then the decision don’t even have anything to do with it.”
Dwight Howard told USA Today he has given Anthony advice and said the Knicks star has got to make a “business decision” and not follow his heart. Howard said losing in Los Angeles with the Lakers meant less endorsements for him than winning in Orlando. It’s about winning more than market nowadays in Howard’s estimation as he took less money to sign with the surging Rockets.
“Carmelo’s a great competitor and he wants to win,’’ Miami’s Shane Battier said. “No question about that. He want to be part of a championship team. He’s going to do what he needs to do to be on a winner. Whether that’s staying in New York to help the rebuilding process or whatever, he wants to win.’’
The Knicks have to finish 20-5 to get to .500, though it appears a losing record could still be enough to qualify for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
“All these games are very critical,’’ Anthony said. “We have to approach the games — don’t want to say life-and-death situation — but it is what it is.’’