Jim Dolan stopped short of saying it’s a done deal. But the Knicks owner is confident the hiring of Phil Jackson as team president enhances the chance of Carmelo Anthony staying with the club well beyond this season.
“Absolutely,” Dolan told The Post after the press conference announcing Jackson’s appointment. “Carmelo wants to be on a winning team. I think Carmelo and rest of team felt they were going into the season with an excellent chance of going deep into the playoffs. Everybody was taken by surprise. I know Carmelo wants to be on a winner and it was getting hard here to see how this team was going to do that. I think bringing Phil on will clear a lot of that up.”
Anthony, who is averaging 28 points per game, can become a free agent at the end of the season. He has been frustrated by the Knicks losing season and has expressed an interest to test the free-agent market, though the Knicks can pay him roughly $30 million more than any other team.
Dolan was instrumental in orchestrating the trade that brought Anthony from Denver to the Knicks in 2011. He covets Anthony’s star power and retaining the scoring forward from Syracuse is a top priority for Jackson.
“There’s no doubt about Carmelo being one of the top scorers in the league, maybe the best individual isolation player in the game,” Jackson said. “I have no problems with committing to saying Carmelo is in the future plans.
“I think there are a number of things I see Carmelo doing as he moves forward. And I think I was on record saying a year ago that I think Carmelo, as great a player as he is, still has another level he can go to. And I hope together, with the team we create, he can get there.”