Carmelo Anthony, the basketball player, has come under a great deal of fire since the New York Knicks’ offseason kicked off.
Naturally, that means Carmelo Anthony, the social-media caper, will have to take over from time to time.
Melo has already hit the Instagram comment sections once this summer to refute reports that he was unhappy with the Knicks picking Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4. You should also remember last New Year’s Eve, when Melo took time out of his day to call a mean-spirited tweeter a “glazed donut face ass:”
@__Kingsleyy5 I didn't ask for your glazed donut face ass to root for me anyway!!!!
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) December 31, 2013
Ah, good times.
Apparently, though, the social-media caper in Melo is at it again. The seldom actually active Melo was holding what ESPN New York’s Ian Begley called a “give-and-take” session with fans on his Instagram page, so of course the one whom we’ll call Me7o, because that’s what he calls himself, took the opportunity to quell some popular conjecture while eviscerating one of his many naysayers.
From Begley:
During a give-and-take with fans on his Instagram page, Carmelo Anthony hinted that he’s happy with the direction of the New York Knicks and isn’t interested in seeking a trade from the team.
In response to a fan questioning how much he cared about the game, Anthony wrote: “Shows how little you know about me. Staying in NY shows that I do care. If I would have left, what would you have said then? ‘Oh, Melos wack for leaving. He turned his back on NY’. FOH. You are stuck with me buddy. Deal with it. If you want me gone, I’ll personally walk you into the front office so you can plead your case of the Knicks trading me. Hope you have bail money bc they might have you arrested for Disturbing the Peace.”
One fan wrote that Anthony “shouldn’t listen to the negativity” and should “trust the process” because the Knicks are on the right path.
Anthony’s response? “Best thing I’ve heard all day.”
This is encouraging if you’re a Knicks fan who doesn’t traffic in distractions. Whether or not you like Me7o isn’t the point. He and the Knicks are stuck with each other for now. Me70 is a 31-year-old star coming off knee surgery who needs to prove that he’s still, in fact, a star. No team will give up anything substantial for his services until he proves that much, and even then, suitors may not truly surface until next summer, after all the free-agency/cap-explosion hoopla has subsided.
For the Knicks’ part, they can’t just ship Me7o anywhere, even if they don’t care about the return. He owns a no-trade clause, something he’ll likely only waive for select teams, few of which have anything of value to offer, and none of which will likely talk turkey for another year or so.
To hear that Melo is on board with whatever the Knicks are doing may not be huge. But it is, for the moment, convenient, and therefore a plus.
