Say this for Carmelo Anthony: He’s candid.
With the Knicks on a three-game losing streak and Melo coming off arguably his worst game of the year against Utah, it’s understandable the Knicks forward would be expressing his frustrations. But that doesn’t mean he’s entirely wrong.
Speaking after the loss to the Jazz, in which he went 3-of-11 from the field, Melo laid out why it’s been so difficult for him to score. In short, he feels he’s not getting the foul calls, allowing defenses to be more aggressive in guarding him. Here are his quotes to the New York Post:
They just tell me I’m the most difficult player to referee in the NBA. I’ve heard that a couple of times. It’s unclear on who is creating the contact. My goal is to go to the basket. If I’m creating the contact going toward the basket [and] I get hit, it’s a foul.
I’m human. Those frustrations kick in at times, especially when you’re down there banging and know you’re getting banged on. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know how to play another way.
See, I don’t know how to flop, that’s the thing. Nowadays guys know how to flop, get hit and put their head back. I don’t know how to flop. I won’t even look right trying to do that. I won’t even feel right trying it.
A lot of times I get hit and I still continue to get to my spots just because I’m big and strong. A lot of guys get hit and they stop. I’m not saying they’re flopping, but they’re lighter than me. I can take a lot more physicality.
To be clear, everyone flops in the NBA sometimes, even Anthony. The game is just too predicated on the whistles sometimes to avoid it. But to Anthony’s credit, he is far better at not flopping than other NBA superstars. And, on that note, Anthony doesn’t always get the superstar calls that, say, LeBron James gets.
You can parse through the specifics of Melo’s statement and find fallacies, as well as truths. But the bigger point is that there is at least some degree of validity to what he’s saying, even if it sounds like whining.
(Via the New York Post)
