Before the New York Knicks headed to training camp, they met with reporters to answer a few questions on media day. Here are a few notes from the interviews:
Carmelo says he’ll play some power forward: Carmelo Anthony said he expects to play some power forward this season. Anthony said the Knicks may use him there to take advantage of a matchup on a given night, but it sounds as if he’ll vacillate between small forward and power forward.
"I’m pretty sure I’ll be at the 4; especially with the makeup of this team, I’m pretty sure I’ll be there," he said. ".... The way that the game is going now those are the same positions. It really doesn’t matter at this point."
Phil Jackson said Friday that the Knicks may play Anthony at power forward when new center Robin Lopez is on the floor.
It’s worth pointing out that the Knicks had success with Anthony playing power forward last season. They were nearly 13 points better per 48 minutes with Anthony at power forward in 2014-15. But Anthony played there sparingly.
Giving Anthony minutes at power forward this season could impact the playing time of power forwards Kyle O’Quinn and Kristaps Porzingis.
On another note, Anthony said it was too early to talk about expectations for the 2015-16 Knicks.
“To be quite honest, I don’t really have any expectations at this time,” Anthony said. “It’s too early to kind of put expectations on anything, especially when this group has just been put together. We haven’t even started.”
Porzingis impressing teammates: Kevin Seraphin has been matched up against Porzingis in 5-on-5 scrimmages at the team’s facility in recent weeks, so he has had a firsthand view of the rookie’s first action against NBA players.
It’s safe to say that he was impressed.
“Before I got here, I was expecting him to be maybe a little bit skinnier. When I got here I realized that he was really a good player,” Seraphin said. “And I think the fans, they don’t realize yet what they have on their hands. Because the guy is pretty much 7-3 and he’s capable to run like a guard and he can shoot outside. That’s pretty amazing ... And if he keeps working hard like that, I think he’s going to be someone in this league.”
Brotherly love: Robin Lopez had a funny response when asked about facing the Brooklyn Nets and his brother, Brook Lopez.
“I can’t wait. That is something totally unique,” Lopez said. “I love that I am going to have my family out here. I love that I am going to have my mom out here. The only downside is that I am going to have to see Brook more often.”…. Jose Calderon, put simply, is looking for a fresh start after a frustrating 2014-15. “I’m trying to forget about what happened [last season], and it’s like I’m just getting to the Knicks,” the veteran point guard said.... New Knicks guard Sasha Vujacic was asked by a reporter if he still is in contact with Maria Sharapova, his ex-fiancée. He declined to answer.