Carmelo Anthony was rumored to be unhappy with the Knicks’ decision to draft Kristaps Porzingis, a 19-year-old out of Latvia, fourth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. Now that training camps are opening, Anthony is saying he always supported the pick. And even if he didn’t like it, Anthony says his thoughts are “irrelevant” at this point.

"We got him at No. 4. So what I think at this point is a little bit irrelevant. I've showed everybody that I've supported that pick," Anthony said. "I've showed everybody that I've supported Porzingis. As long as me and KP know our relationship, that's all that really matters. It doesn't matter what somebody else might speculate out there."

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Anthony missed much of last season with a knee injury, and turned 31 this year. The Knicks picked Porzingis, a seven-foot teenager with 3-point range, to not only create spacing for Anthony to attack the basket, but to eventually assume the lead role as Anthony ages.

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The concern is that Anthony, who is not one to pass the ball much, will not mesh offensively with Porzingis, who also needs the ball to be effective. Anthony is trying to allay those fears by promising to take Porzingis under his wing.

"I'm just there to be that sounding board and that guy to let him know what's here to come,” Anthony said. “To be a newcomer to this game, to this league, in New York, that's tough. I don't know if he knows what he's about to get himself into, so I kind of have to be that wall for him."

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