If the New York Knicks have mastered the art of begging, then there's no way on Earth they should let go of Carmelo Anthony.

But since we know they haven't mastered much of anything, and their history leaves them as one of the least desired destinations for an aspiring champion, it's pretty close to stupid for them not to exhaust every conceivable option to deal their resident star before the NBA's trading deadline.

Carmelo Anthony may wish he was on a team with a better supporting cast. Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

In other words, Anthony should not be a member of the New York Knicks two weeks from now. He should not be in position to hold the Knicks hostage once the summer rolls around. And let the record show, none of this is being said because of anything negative about Anthony.

It is because of the Knicks' ineptitude, their preoccupation with media policies and accessibility, public relations and spreadsheets -- everything but winning -- that Anthony should depart Gotham City sometime before Feb. 20. Because, truth be told, the Knicks are in no position to trust that anyone would want to stay with them.

Lost in all this back-and-forth regarding whether Melo should stay or go is the refusal of mostly sensible Knicks fans to actually be sensible. Go ahead and listen to Anthony say he loves being a New York Knick all you want. Listen to his lovely wife, La La, tell folks in the reality TV world that her husband isn't going anywhere else, debunking the myth that the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is running the Melo Show instead of herself and her husband.

Just remember that Anthony still plans to opt out of his contract come July. He will be an unrestricted free agent. And then, if he decides to leave, not only will the Knicks be helpless to do anything about it, they'll also be devoid of the ability to ensure they'll receive equitable compensation for their most marketable commodity since Patrick Ewing and the most prolific scorer in the game next to Kevin Durant.

All because they trusted that someone like Anthony would actually want to stay in New York. It's enough to make you cry at how pathetic things are right now, once you stop laughing.

Wednesday night's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers was the latest piece of misery. It dropped the Knicks' record to 19-30. The latest losing skid of many this season now stands at three, meaning the team is winless in the month of February.