There was no secret that former Knicks star F Carmelo Anthony and former head coach Mike D'Antoni didn't see eye to eye in New York. D'Antoni even said Anthony was the reason he quit his head coaching post with the Knicks before the 2012 season began.
But that was then, and right now, D'Antoni's Houston Rockets look like the favorite to land the 10-time All-Star.
Six years ago, D'Antoni indulged in his relationship with Anthony, and how the star forward gave the Knicks an ultimatum. It was either get rid of D'Antoni or Anthony wanted to be traded.
Well, D'Antoni knew how that would end, so he decided to make the decision easy for both parties by packing his bags himself.
"I just went in and quit," he said to ESPN The Magazine's TIm Keown back in May 2017.
But D'Antoni isn't holding a grudge against the 34-year-old. In fact, they quickly nipped it in the bud when they both traveled to London with Team USA for the 2012 Olympics.
Anthony heading to the Rockets was also a notion last year when the Knicks wanted to move him. At the time, D'Antoni was perfectly fine with a reunion.
"Oh yeah. We all get a little bit, hopefully, better at what we do," D'Antoni told ESPN's Ian Begley about wanting to coach Melo again. "And it's a whole different situation and we know that. James (Harden) and Chris (Paul) are good friends (of Carmelo's) so it's a whole different thing. Actually after New York, we went to USA Basketball and we won a gold medal again so it's not like it's anything new."
During his tenure with the Knicks, D'Antoni owned a 121-167 record over four seasons. New York made the postseason once under his reign in the 2010-11 season, but were swept out of the first round by the Celtics.
