George Karl has not had many good things to say about Carmelo Anthony since the Denver Nuggets traded him to the New York Knicks two seasons ago. Many have painted Carmelo as a selfish player who is unwilling to buy into the team mentality, and Karl has done nothing to change that perception. However, the Nuggets coach recently praised Anthony for changing his game.
“I’ve said I feel that Carmelo is going to win a championship someday,” Karl told the New York Times. “He’s going to figure out that the numbers and the stats sheets aren’t important. It’s the scoreboard and the intangibles that make winners champions.”
Of course, Karl’s latest comments come on the heels of a 15-5 start from the Knicks that has them looking like one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. New York has not lost a game at home and — perhaps most surprisingly — has played tremendous defense throughout the first 15 games of the season. As for the talk about ‘Melo being selfish, Karl says he would say that about any player he coached during their early years.
“I can say that about everybody I’ve coached, except Chauncey Billups or Nate McMillan, in my career,” Karl said. “I can say that about Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp and a lot of great young guys.”
Last season, Karl said he wanted to beat the Knicks badly and that he got sick of all the Anthony talk when he coached him. He obviously changed his tune a bit prior to his team’s loss to New York on Sunday night. Personally, I feel that Karl’s past criticism of ‘Melo has been warranted. If he can learn to share the ball more and be a consistent defender, the Knicks will be a dangerous team for the long haul.
