Mike Woodson didn’t get fired Thursday and Carmelo Anthony didn’t get snowed in as he headed to All-Star weekend.
Anthony moves onto the national stage in the Big Easy, in the starting frontcourt for the Eastern Conference, and the Knicks coach moves into the weekend planning to do nothing.
“[I’m] going to sit still for three days and get my mind and body ready for after the break,’’ said Woodson, who appears will make good on his promise of walking in Memphis when the Knicks reconvene for practice there Monday.
Anthony flew Thursday to New Orleans by charter with Knicks owner James Dolan, Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston, rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. and a caravan of other family and Knicks personnel.
By not firing Woodson, Dolan spared Anthony from having to answer for it at Friday’s All-Star press conferences.
Anthony joins LeBron James and Paul George in the front court for the East. George is on the league-leading Pacers, James the two-time defending champion Heat and Anthony on the hopeless Knicks, who entered the All-Star break 20-32 after a crushing 106-101 overtime loss Wednesday to the woebegone Kings.
With 30 games left, the Knicks (20-32), who trail for the eighth spot by 2 ½ games, have to go 21-9 just to finish .500. They can go 30-0 to close the season and still fall four games shy of matching last season’s 54-28 mark.
Syracuse, Anthony’s alma mater, is undefeated and, already with 24 victories, has four more wins than the Knicks.
“If I knew it wasn’t a championship team, I would’ve just said that from the jump,” Anthony said. “I didn’t expect for us to be in the situation we are in now. ‘’
The biggest challenge for Anthony this weekend is to maintain a confident front as the international media also will question him on topics such as whether he wants to escape New York via free agency, the Knicks’ disastrous season and Woodson’s day-by-day job status.
Anthony said “mentally’’ it will be tough to savor the New Orleans festivities following the Kings loss. But before leaving, Anthony said he hopes the club doesn’t let the depressing situation fester coming out of the All-Star break.
“[The biggest concern] is that it could linger with us, stick with us,’’ Anthony said in a morose Knicks locker room late Wednesday night. “Hopefully we can put this behind us. I know it was a tough one. We got to put this behind us these next few days to reboot, recharge. Get ourselves together and get our minds right and come back ready to make a push.’’
Anthony’s latest pronouncements on his future have been a mixed bag. He said he wants to be in a place where he can win a title but also seconded his wife La La’s assertion he “definitely’’ will stay with the Knicks for the long haul.
The Knicks will have to convince him of a real plan and some of the guys he will mingle with this weekend — Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge — are 2015 free agents when the Knicks will have cap space.
Otherwise, this club looks destined for a failing season — unless it pulls off a miracle at the Feb. 20 trade deadline and snags a prominent piece such as point guard Rajon Rondo. The Celtics have not been enthusiastic about the Knicks’ assets, especially their lack of draft picks.
“I don’t want to go down that path at this point,’’ Anthony said when asked if he hopes a deal is made. “Whatever they’re thinking, if they do something they do it. It’s up to the management and out of my hands.’’
Woodson has said the team will explore trades, but isn’t sure there’s one out there — certainly not a season-changer.
“Everybody’s got to play better,’’ Woodson said. “I’ve got to coach better.’’
At best, the Knicks are looking at a seventh or eighth seed and a competitive but quick first-round knockout at the hands of the Pacers or Heat. At worst, they will miss the playoffs while Denver takes the Knicks’ 2014 lottery pick and moves up into the top five of June’s highly touted NBA Draft.
There looks to be little hope a turnaround will occur. Even if Woodson is fired soon after the break, it’s hard to imagine an interim coach, likely Herb Williams, mounting a substantial turnaround.
Another big issue after the break looms with J.R. Smith, who said he will have to wear a protective mask for four to five weeks because of his fractured cheekbone and sounded dubious about adjusting to it. He was unable to feel comfortable in it Wednesday and sat out.
Some thought the Knicks would have better chemistry without injured Andrea Bargnani as they won four straight games while playing small-ball immediately after he tore his elbow. But their record since the injury is .500 (5-5).
Bargnani will take a vacation in Miami this weekend but could be back two weeks after the break, creating more flux to the rotation.
Amar’e Stoudemire has been a bright spot offensively but whether his knees stay healthy, or whether Kenyon Martin’s ankles can stay right for more than a few games at a time is up in the air.
It also remains to be seen whether Anthony can reverse his trend of falling short in the clutch — 1 of 19 the past two seasons in the final 30 seconds on game-winning or game-tying shots.
For Anthony and the Knicks, there’s a lot to think about — and forget about — this weekend in the Big Easy.