Carmelo Anthony: Trust Phil Jackson, Says Not Shutting Down Season Yet- New York Knicks Star To Sit After 2015 NBA All-Star Break?

New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony says we should all trust new Knicks President Phil Jackson, with the forward also adding in a new revealing video that he's not yet going to sit for the remainder of the 2015 NBA season. But former NBA player and ESPN/Grantland presenter Jalen Rose says he believes Carmelo will wait until after New York hosts the 2015 NBA All Star Game to sit as the 5-32 Knicks chase a top 2015 NBA Draft propsect such as Jahil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns.

Following the three-team trade that sent JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder and cleared enough cap room for the Knicks to offer a max-contract to a free agent this offseason,according to ESPN, Carmelo today said "I've got to trust in what's happening. I've got to trust in the plan that they're trying to put in place."

Melo after trade: Got to trust in Phil's plan. https://t.co/h2TF0Kp9In

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 7, 2015

He added that he "couldn't imagine" that the rebuilding plan put in place by Jackson, that sees that team mired at the bottom of their division with five wins and a whopping 32 losses. That news came after Carmelo tried to placate upset fans and people calling him out, saying in a video on The Bleacher Report Uninterrupted, "I'm all right. I'm not shutting it down for the season yet. I'm just trying to take some time to get it right."

VIDEO: @carmeloanthony talks about his injury, the recent trade and the future of the Knicks https://t.co/S2dRIHzRkw pic.twitter.com/Xzarcg1Oar — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 6, 2015

"I know there's a lot of fans out there that's kind of upset or kind of down on the team, kind of down on the players right now, kind of down on the situation," Anthony said.

"But I will say that it [gets] greater later, just be patient with the team, with the organization, with the journey, with the plan, with what we're trying to create, what we're trying to accomplish."

"Greatness don't happen overnight, and that's something that we're trying to build here." He adds that he's "around the clock in treatment" rehabbing and trying "it get right" to "do what I gotta do".

It comes after Jalen Rose said on Grantland's Bill Simmons' podcast The B.S. Report that he believed Carmelo would sit after New York hosts the 2015 NBA All-Star game. (At the 1 hour, 13 minute-odd minute mark below) Following the trade, SB Nation's Tom Ziller says it appears that "Phil Jackson knows what he's doing," after the Zen Master's cap clearing move. Ziller adds that Phil has "kept his powder dry in free agency," and resisted the urge to make "rash moves despite New York sitting two games behind Philadelphia in the Atlantic."

Carmelo Anthony insists he’s still hoping to come back this year. https://t.co/NcNgq5cSa5 pic.twitter.com/zWB4xDcYXh — SB Nation NBA (@SBNationNBA) January 7, 2015

As ZIller commends that's "what the smart teams do when they're down: they get rid of bad contracts and turn players they won't re-sign into assets." And considering he Knicks haven't been a smart team in a long team, it's certainly a step in some sort of correct direction. If it ends up with New York scoring a top NBA draft pick like Jahil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns, they'll look even smarter.