Carmelo Anthony Comments on Relationship with Kristaps Porzingis
Rumors swirled that New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was unhappy with the decision to draft Kristaps Porzingis, but now that the Latvian rookie is taking the NBA by storm, Melo is making it clear that he has a great relationship with the youngster.
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the eight-time All-Star warned that those who are trying to manufacture issues between the two are wasting their time: "I know what we have as teammates. Nobody can come between us despite what anybody says. Nobody," Anthony said.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News first reported in June that Melo wasn't pleased with the selection of Porzingis.
Anthony never said anything of the sort publicly, but the perception was that he may have felt the 7'3" forward was too much of a project.
Shortly after Porzingis became a member of the Knicks, though, Anthony insisted there was no "drama" and called Porzingis a "steal" on Instagram, according to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com.
Carmelo's assessment has been right on thus far, as Porzingis is currently averaging 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in his debut season.
Per Spears, Porzingis believes Anthony has been a huge help in terms of his development and ability to produce on the court: "He is making a lot of situations (easier) for me," Porzingis said. "Because of him I'm getting wide-open looks. He's great. Playing alongside him, I can just read him and play off of him. When I am open, he is going to hit me. I don't doubt that."
While Porzingis is the toast of the Big Apple currently, Carmelo knows fans can be fickle. That is why he intends to support the big man along the way:
"When things are going good, they put you way up there. When things are going bad, they kick the chair from underneath you. Those are experiences that he is going to have to go through. But if I can be there and be that guy who can grab him up and say everything is going to be all right, I’m going to do that ... I support him 100 percent. In New York they can run you in the ground with all that attention. I'm there to just let him know that when it's good, it's great.
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Anthony understands the New York dynamic as well as anyone. He has been with the Knicks through plenty of ups and downs, and he has heard plenty of praise and criticism from the fans and media.
While very few know how Melo truly felt when Phil Jackson drafted Porzingis, everything he has said publicly since that move suggests he fully supports the rookie.
The Knicks may have the foundation for something very special in the coming years if Anthony and Porzingis are able to coexist both on and off the floor, and with Melo getting up there in age, he has every reason to fully buy into the newest New York star.
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