Carmelo Anthony is considered one of the NBA‘s biggest superstars, and he is the cornerstone of the New York Knicks. When new team president Phil Jackson joined the Knicks in 2014, one of his biggest decisions was whether to give Anthony a max contract or let him walk. Jackson decided to offer Anthony the five-year, $124 million deal last offseason expecting it to be the first major move in returning the Knicks to prominence. Instead, the Knicks had the worst season in their storied history, finishing 17-65.

Entering free agency yesterday, Jackson was recruiting his hardest trying to get LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Danny Green and DeAndre Jordan, just to name a few, to come and play in Madison Square Garden, but every big-name free agent spurned the Knicks for other options. The reason is simple: No one wants to play with Anthony.

Although Anthony has made the playoffs in 10 of his 12 seasons in the NBA, he’s only led his team out of the first round twice. His style of play is almost strictly one-on-one, as he’s never averaged four assists in a season, compared to LeBron James, Steph Curry and James Harden, who have the ability to distribute and help make their teammates better. Anthony has never shown the ability to do that, instead choosing to take the scoring onus on himself. Other NBA stars see that, and it gives them no interest in suiting up next to Anthony.

As long as Anthony is in a Knicks uniform, it’s going to be impossible for Jackson to get the fans in New York excited about the team. With Anthony locked in for the next four seasons though, Jackson doesn’t have any alternate options. He could try and trade Anthony, but I’m not sure there would be any suitors due to the contract and his postseason track record. Anthony has a career playoff record of 22-42, and everyone in the NBA is aware of his inability to lead his team in the NBA’s second season.

The Knicks did agree to a free-agent deal with SG Arron Afflalo on Thursday morning, but he’s not going to make them a playoff team. In fact, I’m shocked he chose the Knicks. With his ability to knock down the three-point shot, Afflalo could’ve helped any contender, but he chose to go to New York and waste two years of his prime.

I wish I had a simple answer for Knicks fans, but unfortunately I don’t. The Knicks won’t be an attractive destination for free agents until Anthony moves on which isn’t happening anytime soon. Jackson is arguably the greatest head coach of all time, but with his first impact move as an executive, he set himself up for failure from the get-go.

Jason Fletcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.