Three cheers for backtracking!
Or rather, context!
Yay, context!
Carmelo Anthony created quite a stir at Knicks media day when he apparently said the following to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard:
Melo told me he's "the most underrated superstar" in the league…
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) September 29, 2014
For shame, Melo! For shame! How dare ye incite such bedlam weeks before the regular season, and mere weeks after the New York Knicks wrapped up a tumultuous offseason that was equal parts promising, risky, interesting and convoluted.
Only you didn’t say that, did you? At least if you did, it’s not what you meant, right?
Here’s what Anthony said on Thursday regarding his previous comments, per the New York Daily News‘ Peter Botte:
Perhaps Carmelo Anthony should have talked to Derek Jeter’s unfiltered website instead of ESPN.
The Knicks forward attempted to clarify Thursday that his recent comments about being “the most underrated superstar out there” were taken out of context.
“I don’t feel like that,” Anthony said, referring to a sit-down interview he gave to ESPN’s Chris Broussard at Monday’s media day before the start of training camp. “I think it was just the course of the way the conversation was going. They took it and ran with it. That’s something, I don’t get into. I let you guys write about (if) I am underrated or not. I know what I can do and I know what I’ve done on the basketball court. I know what I can get better at.
“But as far as, you know, self-proclaiming me as being an underrated superstar, that’s out of my league.”
Anthony believes he was “set up” when asked specifically by Broussard if he believes he’s an underrated superstar, to which Carmelo laughed and replied, “I think I’m the most underrated superstar that’s out there, but that doesn’t matter to me.”
Aha! So there’s the rub. There’s always rub. We in the media—myself included—often jump on things because, well, we have no choice. Context is then lost along the way, as comments are distorted into something they’re often not. Eventually the truth—some version of it—will come out and new perspective is born. That’s the news cycle these days.
Sometimes it will even include another layer, in which the publisher will cry foul. As of writing this, Broussard hasn’t offered a rebuttal or defense of himself on Twitter, but he hasn’t issued a retraction either. How you interpret this craziness, then, is up to you.
But it sure sounds like Anthony was kidding, or half-kidding, or speaking in an exasperated tone that implied he was really saying, “Come on, man. You’re asking me this?” At the same time, Anthony isn’t known for his comedy. He’s always smiling, but it’s also difficult to tell when he’s being facetious.
Moral of the story: Anthony (apparently) doesn’t think he’s underrated—which is good, because he’s not. His ability to climb further up the superstar ladder may be underrated, but his current standing—easily top 10, probably top seven—is not some sorely mistaken slight that devalues his performance and reputation.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
