Carmelo Anthony is happy with the current makeup of the New York Knicks.
So happy, in fact, he has no qualms about sharing the spotlight with teammates Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah et al., per ESPN.com’s Ian Begley:
Anthony, who ended up with 20 points on 5-for-15 shooting, six rebounds and five assists, was just fine with sharing the shots — and the spotlight.
“You don’t see me complaining about it. You didn’t see me out there making a face,” Anthony said. “[It’s] something that I embrace. I look forward to just being out there with guys who can control the game and make plays, and when it’s my time, it’s my time.”
He added: “We know that the ball doesn’t have to be in my hand every single time down the court for us to make things happen. There will come a time where that has to happen, but right now, we’re just trying to get comfortable with one another and play off of each other and guys do what they do best.”
Two games into the season, Anthony is averaging 16.5 shot attempts per night, putting him on pace for the second-lowest mark of his career. It’s still super early, but it’s good for the Knicks that he isn’t about to bristle over shot and point totals—so long as they are winning, of course.
Granted, we should have expected this. Anthony isn’t the player to wax annoyance with spotlight timeshares. Not anymore at least.
We saw him take Porzingis under his wing last season, looking for him on certain plays and embracing him as the future of the franchise. That was a step in the right direction. And as far as Rose, Noah and everyone else, like Courtney Lee, is concerned, Melo really shouldn’t take issue with giving up shots. This team was put together in large part because the Knicks are trying to make the most of what’s left of his prime. He has wanted help for a while now, and New York has given it to him.
Whether or not it’s the right help remains to be seen.
Which means we still need to see if Anthony is parroting the same line a few months from now.
