Carmelo Anthony has been staying out of the spotlight trying to maintain a low profile while the Knicks made personnel moves to keep the team competitive enough -- and also make certain their star forward is happy enough to remain in New York beyond this season. “I’ve been staying under the radar” Anthony told ESPN.com while in Las Vegas coaching his Team Melo summer program. “I let them do what they do. We got [Metta World Peace] and I think [Andrea] Bargnani was really a steal for us. He’ll help us spread the floor. We got J.R. [Smith] back and we kept the core guys together.” The Knicks were 54-28 last season and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals -- where they lost to the Indiana Pacers. Anthony has two more years on his current contract but can opt out and become a free agent after this season. “It’s a big year” said Anthony who recently returned from a Jordan Brand trip to China with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. “A huge upcoming season for me as a team and as an organization.” New York dealt Steve Novak Marcus Camby and two draft picks -- including a first-rounder in 2016 -- to acquire the much-maligned Bargnani the No. 1 draft pick in 2006. The Knicks also signed Metta World Peace to a two-year deal after he was amnestied by the Los Angeles Lakers inked J.R. Smith to a three-year contract worth about $6 million per season and brought Pablo Prigioni and Kenyon Martin back. However Anthony watched the team across town the Brooklyn Nets go out and pull off the blockbuster trade of the offseason acquiring Kevin Garnett Paul Pierce and Jason Terry from Boston in return for Gerald Wallace Kris Humphries Keith Bogans MarShon Brooks and a trio of first-round draft picks. Brooklyn also hired his former teammate Jason Kidd as its head coach fresh off of retirement. “We’ll see whether we have enough” Anthony said. “We haven’t even stepped on the court yet.” - See more at: http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/47440/melo-a-huge-upcoming-season-for-me
