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New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony and president Phil Jackson had a meeting on Tuesday, as first reported by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. The purpose of the meeting was to see if Anthony wants to remain with the Knicks, in the wake of Jackson's friend, Charley Rosen, writing that the forward had "outlived his usefulness in New York." Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract and, as first reported by the New York Daily News' Frank Isola, he told Jackson that he wants to stay.

While ESPN reported that the meeting was "far more contentious than previous sit-downs between Jackson and Anthony," The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that it was "calm" and "business-like." It appears that, regardless of Jackson's wishes, Anthony still has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause, despite the fact that the Knicks have lost 11 of 13 games and are six games under .500, with a roster that doesn't complement him particularly well.

Assuming he holds firm, this means that the Knicks will remain in between two eras, with a win-now mentality and no hope of being real contenders. Anthony, 32, is still their biggest name, but the 21-year-old Kristaps Porzingis is not only the future of the franchise, but their most productive player. If Anthony is staying, then coach Jeff Hornacek will have to continue to experiment with his rotation in hopes of improving the defense to the point where New York can a) make the playoffs and b) not embarrass itself. If this was easy, then Hornacek would have figured it out by now, so there's also pressure on Jackson to look for upgrades on the trade market.

Carmelo Anthony at Madison Square Garden
Carmelo Anthony will continue to play his home games at MSG. USATSI

In a lot of ways, Anthony looks like the winner here. He used the power that he bargained for when he asked for a no-trade clause, and he refused to let Jackson get in the way of his goals. He has stated over and over again how much he wants to win with the Knicks, and he doesn't want to run from that -- or relocate his family -- just because the front office has failed to surround him with the type of players that could maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses.

From a basketball perspective, though, there are no real winners here. Anthony's big prize for remaining committed to New York is staying on a team that has been sliding down the Eastern Conference standings for weeks, playing out of position and working alongside a team president who might want him out. That's not an ideal environment for any player, and it's definitely not what Anthony envisioned when he re-signed in the summer of 2014, months after Jackson took the Knicks job.

Anthony is getting what he wanted by not being forced to go elsewhere. This comes with a price: his team is going nowhere.