Happy 33rd, Carmelo: 5 memorable quotes from a forgettable season

Carmelo Anthony's 2016-17 campaign will be remembered less for how he fared on the court, and more for the headlines he made off of it, whether it was his tumultuous relationship with New York Knicks president Phil Jackson, his reported separation from his wife, constant trade rumors, or just his overall frustration with the organization he works for.

The 10-time All-Star turns 33 years old on Monday, and while birthdays are usually an ideal time to reflect, perhaps Anthony would be better served trying to forget all the turmoil he endured over the past seven months.

Here are five noteworthy Melo quotes and takes from a season we would all be better off erasing from memory.

(photo courtesy: Action Images)

1) "They can come play."

If Knicks supporters at Madison Square Garden were so gung-ho on the team tanking near the tail-end of the season, Anthony would have been more than happy to toss them a jersey and let them crash and burn themselves.

A postseason berth was no longer obtainable, so the logic behind New York trying to secure a stronger draft pick after failing to qualify for the fourth year in a row was somewhat justifiable - to everyone but Anthony, anyway.

2) "I don't even know my role."

Full quote: "I don't even know my role. I don't know my role to be honest. I'm just here to kind of help those guys and keep those guys positive and motivated. I get in where I fit in."

You've got to know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em.

With his long-term future in The Big Apple very much up in the air, and his Knicks just running out the clock at that point, Anthony failed to see what purpose he served on a roster that prioritized getting other guys playing time.

The team's best player was just another spoke on a wheel that was no longer moving forward.

3) "Show ya face you onion bagel face ass."

Did Anthony just string together a series of foods and body parts to insult his Instagram troll, or is "onion bagel face ass" a common retort to someone talking smack?

4) It's "hard to trust" Phil

Full quote: "If somebody was talking bad about you indirectly at your job, what would you do? You would feel a certain way. You would want that person to come straightforward with you. And I feel the same way. I'm always open. I'm a very honest person. I know the business and I know the game and I know how it works. So if it's something that you want to get across, a message that you want to get across, I've always been open."

Tales will be told of the three-ring circus that was Anthony's working relationship with The Zen Master long after they're both gone from the league.

Jackson kept poking the bear over and over again in the media, defining what it meant to be passive-aggressive. It begs the question of whether the Knicks can continue to have both Jackson and Anthony around, or if at least one of them will need to be shown the door.

Safe money is on the latter, as it's looking more and more inevitable.

5) "When we lose, it's me."

Full quote: "It is what it is. Regardless of what happens when we win, it's us. When we lose, it's me."

Part of the job description that comes with being a franchise player means accepting the majority of blame when your team doesn't thrive in the win column - something the Knicks are far too accustomed to at this point.

That isn't news to Anthony, as he's been through that song and dance more often than not. Even if the team had gone on some miraculous run, barring some exceptional production that couldn't possibly be ignored, Melo probably wouldn't have received the credit he likely would have deserved.

When things take a turn for the worse, though, the finger - whether deservedly or not - is pointed squarely at him.