The New York Knicks have started the season slowly, while two of Carmelo Anthony's free agency suitors, the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, look capable of going on deep title runs.

Anthony and the Knicks play both teams on the road this week.

"Of course I know that they're playing very well," Anthony said at shootaround Monday morning. "It's not something that I kind of say to myself that I regret doing this or regret doing that."

Anthony bought into the vision of Phil Jackson to stay with the Knicks.

"No, I can't do that," Anthony said of playing the what-if game. "I can't do that. I can't do that. That's just not my nature as a person. I would never be able to sit down and ask myself 'what if?'"

Anthony said he "took a deep, long look at" all that Houston had to offer, such as weather, and no state tax. He had conversations with Howard, but in the end wanted to remain with the Knicks.

"We had some great dialogue back and forth," Anthony said. "I talked to him. We talked about some things. Ultimately it came down to what I felt at that moment, what I really wanted.

"Me and Dwight had some contact and some conversation. He tried. He tried extremely hard. It didn't have anything to do with Dwight or James or anything like that. It came down to my own decision."