Carmelo Anthony Must Set Example for New York Knicks and Play Consistent Defense
Carmelo Anthony has never been someone who has been lauded for his defense.
That's largely in part because he doesn't exactly play any.
Since coming into the league, the knock on Melo has been his inability to exert any effort at the defensive end of the floor, and that trend followed him all the way to New York.
Upon the heels of Anthony being traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks, head coach George Karl was quick to criticize his former superstar for his defensive "presence."
This is what Karl had to say to the guys at TNT (via NY Post):
"Melo is the best offensive player I've ever coached, but his defensive focus, his demand of himself is what frustrated us more than anything."
Despite Anthony firing back via his own Twitter account after Karl made his comments, it didn't stop there.
The scoring forward had some choice words for his former coach just one day after Karl made his remarks to the media:
"That's him, that's George Karl, so I don't really try to pay too much attention to that. I know what I've done there in the seven and a half years I've been there; going to the Western Conference Finals. Last year, we were top five in a lot of categories. All that stuff, I don't know where it's coming from. I try not to pay too much attention to it.
"
Despite Anthony's rant, Karl raises a valid point that the forward never addressed. Nobody was talking about his ability to carry his team on the offensive end, but that's the majority of the focus in his response to Karl's opinion.
As ESPN's John Hollinger noted at the time of the Knicks' acquisition of Anthony, the move was one that had "great offensive value and little defensive motivation."
But that's why he fit in so perfectly in New York under Mike D'Antoni. The coach was known for his lax attitude at the defensive end and an up-tempo style of offense, but that is exactly why his first season with the Knicks was met with mixed results.
Now, D'Antoni is being asked to hire a defensive assistant to shore up the attack at that end of the floor, as the club has correctly realized that it's defense that leads teams to championship runs, no matter how prolific the offense.
Should Anthony be seeking to assert himself as the unquestioned leader and superstar of his team, he needs to set an example by doing a 180 in his approach and paying attention at the defensive end.
For the first time in his career, rather than focus on offensive accomplishments, Anthony should throw his personal performance out the window in an effort to go the extra mile and stop the opposition through his defense.
His evolution as a player will be incredibly limited until he exerts an equal effort at both ends of the floor.
If Anthony is satisfied with the title of being one of the best scorers in the game, he doesn't need to address the defensive shortcomings in his arsenal.
But if he ever wants to supersede that reputation and become one of the best all-around players in the league, he's going to have to start doing so by clamping down on defense.
