After she rebuked Knicks President Phil Jackson for his "inappropriate comments" on F Carmelo Anthony regarding his future with the team last month, NBPA Exec Dir Michele Roberts yesterday went a step further, saying, "Phil was deliberately trying to shame Melo out of the city," according to Harvey Araton of THE VERTICAL. Roberts said that she had "all but given up on waiting for the league to sanction Jackson -- something that she 'would have bet my paycheck on' after hearing of his comments two days after the conclusion" of the Knicks' season. Roberts: "I have players who are unhappy that this hasn't been responded to by the league." She added that is the "wider view 'for when another GM gets it in his head that it's OK to treat a player this way because Phil got away with it.'" Roberts said, "The comments do damage to the game because they devalue the player and makes the fans who buy tickets question the value of the investment." Roberts: "Our players understand that they can privately complain about how a team is managed but they cannot do it publicly without being subject to sanction. But it has to work both ways" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/3).
