NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony is staying with the New York Knicks. Sam Steel Jersey . Anthony has decided to remain in New York, choosing the Knicks over a number of teams which could have given him a better chance for the championship he craves. The All-Star forward met with Chicago, Houston, Dallas and the Lakers, but has informed the Knicks he will return, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. The Knicks offered Anthony a maximum contract worth nearly $130 million over five years, about $35 million more than any of his other suitors under NBA rules, though its unknown what the final terms of his deal will be. Yahoo Sports and the Daily News of New York first reported Anthonys plans. Anthony came to the Knicks in February 2011 after a trade with the Denver Nuggets. He led the NBA in scoring in 2012-13 and was second last year but is more interested in team success, so he spent the last two weeks considering other homes. But the combination of the millions more the Knicks could offer and the chance to keep playing on basketballs biggest stage was too hard to pass up for Anthony, a New York native who spent months trying for a trade to his hometown 3 1/2 years ago. He wanted the Big Apple then and still does now. His decision came a day after LeBron James announced he was going to sign in Cleveland, leaving Anthony as the best free agent on the market. The Knicks did not comment. An announcement is expected Sunday. Not even the first playoff-less season of his 11-year career convinced Anthony to leave, though he may have seriously considered it given that his decision didnt come until the 12th day of free agency. Instead, hes putting his faith in team President Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher, who will try to rebuild the Knicks after they went 37-45 last season. That poor finish gave Anthony no choice but to look at other teams, given the Knicks salary-cap restraints and the difficulty of making enough changes to make them a contender next season. He travelled around the country to listen to pitches, before the Knicks went to Los Angeles on July 3, offering him the max contract. That was one of what Jackson said was perhaps five different proposals the Knicks made. Anthony has said he was open to taking less than the max and Jackson has said he hoped the star would to give the team more flexibility in the future. Anthony spent the first 7 1/2 seasons of his career in Denver but let the Nuggets know in the summer of 2010 that he wanted a trade to New York. He finally got it the following February, the Knicks sending four of their top six players to Denver to make the deal. New York gave Anthony and his actress wife the bigger platform they sought, but it hasnt brought him any closer to a championship. The Knicks did win the Atlantic Division and reach the second round of the playoffs in 2013, when Anthony led the league in scoring, but they quickly fell backward this season. That was no fault of Anthony, who averaged 27.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 77 games. But he didnt have nearly enough help, and the Knicks probably cant provide it until next summer, when the contracts of Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani come off their books. "Theres no instantaneous winner that we think is going to happen to the Knicks right now, but were going to be a lot better," Jackson said recently. That was only going to happen if Anthony stayed, and the Knicks finally have word that he will. Jacob Larsson Jersey . The Cavaliers first-year forward will miss at least three weeks with a strained left knee, the latest setback for the No. Jonathan Bernier Jersey . - Steve Stricker usually doesnt show up at a tournament on Sunday.SOCHI, Russia -- IOC President Thomas Bach paid tribute Tuesday to the victims of the recent suicide bombings in southern Russia that killed 34 people and heightened security concerns for the Sochi Olympics. Bach spoke at a ceremony in the athletes village to urge compliance with the "Olympic Truce," a symbolic resolution urging warring parties to cease hostilities during the games. "We remember and grieve for the innocent victims of conflict, and especially the recent victims in Volgograd," Bach said. "Our presence here today is a rebuke to those whose motives and goals stand in sharp contrast to the spirit of harmony and global solidarity at these games." An Islamic militant group from the North Caucasus region claimed responsibility for the back-to-back bombings in late December in Volgograd, about 640 kilometres (400 miles) east of Sochi, and threatened to strike the Olympics. Russia has mounted a massive security operation to guard the games, which open Friday and run through Feb. 23. Tens of thousands of military and police personnel have been deployed, along with warships, drone aircraft and anti-missile batteries. The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in November calling for a global truce during the Sochi Games. Similar resolutions have been passed going back to the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. "We are not naive," Bach said. "We know our limits." The IOC leader said the Olympic Village is a symbol of peace. "Men and women from different backgrounds, different cultures, different religions and different perspectives live side-by-side in harmony," he said. Bachs use of the term "different perspectives" could be seen as a reference to sexual orientation. The buildup to Sochi has been overshadowed by an international outcry against a Russian law banning gay "propaganda" among minors. Activists and some politicians called for a boycott of the games over the issue. "We must never let politics or other outside forces spoil this spirit," Bach said. Among those attending the ceremony was Russian pole vault star Yelena Isinbayeva, who is serving as the "mayor" of the Olymmpic Village in the coastal cluster of venues. Cam Fowler Jersey. Isinbayeva made headlines in August at the world athletics championships when she condemned homosexuality, saying Russians have "normal" heterosexual relations. The next day, she said her comments in English may have been misunderstood and that she is against any discrimination. Isinbayeva declined further comment Tuesday on the Russian laws butSvetlana Zhurova, mayor of one of the other two athletes villages in the mountains above Sochi, said the issue had been overblown, was unfairly clouding the buildup to the games and she was fed up with fielding questions about it. Zhurova, the 2006 Olympic speedskating gold medallist , urged activists not to use the Winter Games as a platform for protests. "For the spectators it is more important who wins than whether he or she is homosexual or not," she said. "This doesnt matter. Im sure there will be no problems." Tuesdays ceremony began in embarrassing fashion for the hosts. As Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak prepared to speak, the plastic lectern collapsed onto the ground. Bach drew laughs when he said: "We can see that sport can break down walls this morning." Members of the IOCs executive board toured the Olympic Village, which will accommodate about 2,200 athletes along the Black Sea coast. Two other smaller villages are located in the mountain cluster above Sochi. Bach chatted with athletes, grabbed some lunch in the cafeteria and played table tennis in the recreation room. "The village is really magnificent," he said. "What the athletes appreciate is the proximity to the competition venues. I just spoke to a female American speedskater and Russian ice hockey player and the first thing they say is, We can walk from here to our training sessions." Bach has his own room in the village, keeping a tradition started by his predecessor, Jacques Rogge, though he also stays in a luxury hotel nearby during IOC meetings. "One of the greatest privileges of an IOC president is you can ask for a room in the Olympic Village," Bach said. "Its here where the Olympic spirit lives." Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '