Carmelo Anthony on exit meeting with Phil Jackson: ‘The chips will be on the table’

The last time Carmelo Anthony met with Phil Jackson – a meeting Anthony had to push multiple times to get – Jackson asked Anthony whether he wanted to stay with the Knicks. Anthony said yes. It sounded like a short meeting.

What will Anthony’s exit meeting with Jackson, the Knicks president, be like?

Anthony, via Mike Vorkunov of The New York Times:

“Pretty sure the chips will be on the table,” Anthony said. “The chips will be on the table in that meeting. Honestly, I don’t know what to expect, but I got a good feeling.”

The Knicks will reportedly try again to trade Anthony this offseason, but he still holds a no-trade clause. Will he waive it?

These are tough tea leaves to read, but Anthony is providing no shortage of cryptic comments.

On his “writing on the wall” quote, via Vorkunov:

“I see the writing on the wall,” said Anthony, who turns 33 in May. “The writing — yeah, I see it on the wall. You don’t know what writing is on the wall, though, but I see what writing is on the wall.”

On Scottie Pippen blaming Jackson for the Knicks’ problems, via Vorkunov:

“Everybody has their opinion,” Anthony said of Pippen. “I’m just glad people speaking up, whether it’s good or bad, people are speaking up, having their own opinion, rather than me trying to convince, or not convince, people of the situation or what’s going on, and I could just play basketball. Everybody else sees what’s going on, so they’re going to have an opinion.”

You could spin this as Anthony being hardened in his resolve to stay in New York despite – or maybe even to spite – Jackson. Or could it be Anthony ready to move on from a rebuilding, triangle-oriented team.

Again, it’s tough to read right now.