Knicks coach Kurt Rambis has no choice now but to play the young guys.
During a team meeting Tuesday in Dallas, Knicks veterans Carmelo Anthony, Robin Lopez and Jose Calderon agreed to go to the coach and sacrifice their minutes so the younger players can see more action in the final two weeks.
Anthony said he initiated the deal. In Dallas on Wednesday, Anthony was held to 33 minutes and sat out an 11-minute stretch of the first half.
“I went to those guys, Jose and RoLo, and asked them what they felt of the idea,’’ Anthony said after the Knicks’ final-minute loss to Dallas. “The whole idea of 35 minutes instead of 30 minutes, give other guys opportunities out there. They were all for it.’’
Rambis said he was all for it and mentioned it to president Phil Jackson, even though he’s trying to amass wins to keep his job.
“[It’s] something they were amicable to, something they’d like to see,” Rambis said.
Lopez said he’s glad to do it, though he hadn’t been in a veteran position before to make such a call.
“We got a lot of good young guys with vast potential,” Lopez said. “We want to take advantage of the last six games as much as we can.’’
Anthony said: “Those guys need to play, especially right now. They need to be out there, they need playing time, they need playing experience. You can practice and do drills and one-on-one things all day long, but you only get that experience by playing in an actual game.
“I think it’s good for them, I think it’s good for the morale of the team, I think it’s good for their confidence. Because sometimes in a situation like this, you can lose your confidence. And that’s something we don’t want.”
With Calderon suffering a bruised quad, there’s even a chance for rookie point guard Jerian Grant to start Friday against the Nets.
“That would be great,’’ Grant said. “Anytime I can get more minutes, they have been so inconsistent. It’s been tough to get into a rhythm. Hopefully, I can do a little something and prove I can be the starting guard on this team. As long as minutes come, I know I can go out there and be a great guard.”
Young bigs Kyle O’Quinn and Kevin Seraphin, a free agent this summer, were on the court together in the first half Wednesday for the first time as a result of Anthony’s extended break.
Anthony still wants to play every game, saying there’s no reason to rest before he gets an extended vacation by missing the playoffs for the third straight season.
“I’ve never, ever done it in that situation,’’ Anthony said. “Don’t get me wrong: I still would like to be out there playing and competing. At this point, if we can build guys like Jerian [Grant], Langston [Galloway], D-Will [Derrick Williams] and [O’Quinn] and giving those guys an opportunity probably they wouldn’t have had or have in the past, it’s good for them and the morale of the team and their confidence.”
It was noteworthy veteran guard Arron Afflalo’s name did not come up regarding the minutes sacrifice. Afflalo, who has a contract opt-out after the season, is at odds with Rambis over a recent demotion to the bench.
“We’ll try to cut down on minutes we feel secure with,’’ Rambis said. “We know who they are as players.”
Rambis said early in the trip Grant, so far a first-round draft bust, would not start the rest of the way. But that was before the Anthony-led request.
“He’s getting better,’’ Rambis said of Grant. “He has tremendous speed. We’re encouraging him to use speed and quickness at point guard, [but he] still has to be concerned with organizing of the offense. That’s where he falls short.”
According to Rambis, while Phil Jackson is in Woodstock, GM Steve Mills flew to Spain to watch 2015 second-round draft pick, center Willy Hernangomez, play for Real Madrid.
Hernangomez, a former teammate of Kristaps Porzingis, could join the squad next season, but has played on a limited basis this season. He will play for Spain in the Olympics.