Last April, Chauncey Billups called the leadership abilities of Carmelo Anthony into question. He said that while the New York Knicks superstar “comes to play every single night,” Anthony isn’t the type to inspire his teammates with pre-game speeches or motivational tactics in general. “You’ve got to find another guy to do most of the leading,” Billups said.
That assessment, mind you, wasn’t an outright criticism, and the Detroit Pistons star made that clear. He was simply explaining why the Knicks, following their worst season in franchise history, might be best served going forward by acquiring a player whose leadership style is more overt than Anthony’s. Billups would know, too; he played for the Denver Nuggets alongside the eight-time All-Star for three seasons.
Deeply entrenched as New York’s high-priced cornerstone, has Anthony begun to change his ways? This anecdote from ESPN’s Ian Begley certainly suggests as much.
Carmelo Anthony issued a “challenge” to the New York Knicks coaching staff recently: He wants them to hold him accountable for his mistakes.
“Call it out in the film session so everybody can see that and hear that. By them doing that, it kind of forces me to be at the top level of my game on both ends of the court,” Anthony said after the Knicks’ 94-88 preseason victory over the Sixers on Monday. “I think it brings the best out of me and if you bring the best out of me, I think it will bring the best out of everyone on the team.”
The 31-year-old picked a good time to coax individual accountability from the top down. Not only do the revamped Knicks boast enough veteran talent to make a playoff run in 2015-16, but they possess intriguing youngsters like Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant, too.
Despite insisting otherwise, Anthony doesn’t actually expect his team to compete for a championship this season. But the path to legitimate contention is long, and every mile matters. By asking Derek Fisher and company to call him out for mistakes, the former scoring champion – who’s been consistently chastised for his commitment to defense, mind you – is helping set an example for his teammates that will no doubt pay off down the road.
Anthony recently said “hell no” when asked if he would ever demand a trade from New York. Clearly, the 13-year veteran has bought into his team’s vision after countless rumors of unrest between he and his franchise – and the Knicks will reap immense benefits of that sea change both now and in the future.
[Via ESPN]
