Carmelo Anthony spoke of his personal take on the New York Knicks' trade of J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, along with the long-term ramifications for his place with the franchise.

“That’s tough to deal with from a non-basketball standpoint,’’ Anthony said. “To lose two friends, a guy in Shump, he was my rookie when he came into this league. A guy I kind of put under my wing and talked to and got him through his darker times. J.R., we’ve been together almost 10 years. To see my like my brother, it’s more than basketball from that standpoint. Me and J.R. have been rocking with each other since our Denver days. And one day it’s over from being teammates.’’

Anthony hasn't spoken to Phil Jackson since the trade.

“When I first committed back to New York, it’s something I always said I have to trust they know what they’re doing,” Anthony said Wednesday. “That was one of the reasons I wanted to come back. So here’s an opportunity with the trust. Everything starts now.”