No One Told Carmelo
Photo. Mannion
This a great way to antagonize your franchise player:
A Nuggets bench that Karl had promised he would rule with an iron fist was showing signs of rebellion after only three regular-season games. While rumors of an imminent blockbuster between Denver and Detroit began leaking over the weekend to such an extent that players throughout the league were swapping texts and opinions about the Iverson-for-Billups trade, Nuggets management kept Anthony out of the loop, never mentioning it to Anthony until the deal was as good as done.
“I didn’t hear anything about the trade until I came in (Monday) morning. I think that’s the most shocking part,” Anthony said. “I’m pretty sure that had I known, there would have been a lot more talk.”
Hasn’t Melo repeatedly talked about how he wants to be in the loop with personnel decisions? Whether or not you think players deserve to be let in on upper management’s decisions, you would think a move of this magnitude would at least warrant a heads up from the front office right?
Also, check this out. From the same Seattle Post-Intelligencer article:
The need for this breakup, however, was as obvious as the bad vibe in the dressing room on Iverson’s last game in a Nuggets uniform. Everybody knew this probably was his final season in Denver. But why did the team pull the plug on the A.I. experiment so abruptly?
To understand, maybe you had to witness the weird, discomforting scene late Saturday night after a disheartening loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Iverson, normally the most upbeat personality on the team in victory or defeat, dressed silently in a corner stall, like a sad child sent to timeout.
But down the hall, a close friend of the 33-year-old point guard spoke angrily on A.I.’s behalf and got in the face of a Nuggets executive to issue a heated complaint about the declining number of shots available to one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history.
Source: SeattlePI.com
November 4th, 2008 at 11:49 am
James says:
Bogus. I guess nobody told Melo that J.R. Smith was gonna get all of AI’s shots either. That should be fun… The front office doesn’t HAVE to tell the players, but usually you know some real bullshiite is going down when teams don’t inform players like Carmelo Anthony that a major trade is about to happen.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Big V says:
With all due respect, there shouldn’t be anything that he could do about it anyway. It’s a management decision and Melo is an employee.
I don’t see what the big deal is.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:55 am
YOUNGFED says:
If that was Kobe aka K-Hova all hell would’ve broke loose.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:57 am
control says:
The most disturbing part of this read is “But down the hall, a close friend of the 33-year-old point guard spoke angrily on A.I.’s behalf and got in the face of a Nuggets executive”. What the fuck type of people does AI hang around if parts of his krew are running around talking shit like they own him. If any of my friends came to my work and started talking shit people at my business, I’d break their knees.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:59 am
control says:
This article also very obviously illustrates why AI won’t be a champion. He is worried about his shots. The team could take 50 shots, make 45, but if AI didn’t take 25 of those, he would be upset. AI would be happy if he took 25 shots, and missed them all…as long as he got to take the shots.
His perfect team would be a whole team of Carltons passing to him (Will Smith).
November 4th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
justice says:
I can understand if they lost A.I being mad about the shots if other guys werent hitting… but wtf is ur boy getting involved for..
The biggest loser in all of this is karl what an ass if ur not gonna give A.I the ball then u might as well not play him that’s what he does he scores points and when he cant he occasionally gets it to someone so they can score thats his value George did u miss the last 12 years?
November 4th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
that's whats up says:
Melo is an EMPLOYEE, not the employer.
November 4th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
that's whats up says:
cut my check and the rest is the rest
November 4th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
JoeCozi says:
A.I is the last player I would ever want to play with!!..horrible shot selection and I mean horrible!! were you sprint down the court watch him hoist and then sprint back on d shaking your head like dam this mufucka gunned that bullshit again…and for as much as he gets by his man he is a horrible passer!! always a split second too late or in an akward position…dude should be averaging 10 dimes a game like clockwork…Can never hate on his heart but shit when you always making bad decisions in the game heart don’t matter..
November 4th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
Ugh…and those close friends are now gonna be in Detroit’s locker room, getting under ‘Sheed’s skin…
November 4th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Ben says:
Billups and Melo? not a good combination…
http://www.squidoo.com/CarmeloAnthony
November 4th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Kudabeen says:
Only thing about JoeCozi:
If your game is George Lynch, Eric Snow, Aaron McKie like, then shut the hell up and play D.
Melo never complained, JR Smith got shots with Iverson, LK was on the receiving end off many Iverson dishes.
People crack me up calling a guy who averages 7 assist a game a gun…Especially a guy that puts his body on the line to get to the line…If guys aren’t tenative they get the ball…
Ask Kyle Korver, Dalembert, Igoudala, Lou Williams, Matt Gieger, Anthony Parker, Hughes, and anyone that played with Iverson not named John Salmons who encouraged them to be more aggressive on offense…Iverson is the type he’ll get you the ball if he knows you want it and will do something. Like I said, Denver’s best offensive players never complained, because the only player that the team tried to manage shot totals was the one of the greatest scorers of all time, not Melo, JR, LK, or even Anthony Carter…Iverson shot total was the key indicator of team participation…
Come with something better than that…I’ll take the words of the guys that play with him that love playing with him over a bunch of haters all day long…E Snow and crew always give props to Iverson…Salmons was the only one that spoke negatively and that was because of a personal falling out that Salmons felt manifested in his being cut out of the team’s inner circle…
Stop hating…He has done as much as an individual can do…He isn’t LeBron, Kobe, Shaq, KG, Duncan, but he is a Hall of Famer for a reason. He put less talent on his back and over achieved, then he gets to a more talented team with guys in and out with injuries and they try to handcuff him to appease Melo, when Melo never would have had a problem getting his if he actually dug in and got dirty…
I’m done ranting…Tired of Iverson haters…Stuff is old…Let the games be played and point out real reasons that Iverson is a problem, not cliches and garbage that you regurgitate from Sam Smith and other know-nothing beat writers…
November 4th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
control says:
Kudabeen
You talk like you’ve never seen the guy play. AI passes…when the moon is blue or he has already fucked around for 20 seconds trying to get his own shot and has no chance of not being blocked. If ever stopped looking for his own shot, and just made plays to get baskets, he’d average 15apg. The guy has the skill to pass, just don’t use it.
November 4th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
GEE...Put a B-Ball Court on the White House says:
All I know is Melo ain’t got to know ish.
Iverson is free,
Obama is ballin!
And I am getting up on some peach mango later tonight.
Holla at cha boi!
November 4th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
SayItIsntSo says:
Melo seem like a cool dude off the court..but on the court his ego is bigger then his game right now. Melo has not proven a damn thing since he’s been in the league and if he doesn’t show some type of leadership this season he is two steps away from getting traded his damn self. I understand you r upset but just shut up now and play Melo, maybe if you guys would have played harder and not coasted through games, maybe Iverson wouldn’t have had to leave. The Nuggets were just flat out disrespectful with this Iverson situation, real talk..they wasted that dudes time. Im glad he’s gone. Unlike the Nuggets…Dumars will take care of AI.
And I agree with ‘kudabeen’…stop hating on Iverson every five minutes. You got that same screennames coming in here everyday hating on dude. STFU already with all that.
November 4th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Kudabeen says:
15 assist. Word?
I’ve seen him play more than enough…I know for a fact that not only does he have the skill to pass, but he does…Is he Chris Paul, John Stockton, Mark Jackson, Magic…Not at all, but he is a better PG than Tony Parker, but no one calls him a gun, why is that?
Iverson is put in positions where he is being agressive and if others don’t do the same they aren’t on his radar…Done deal…This selfish talk is crap. He has shown time and time again that he can be a setup guy, but guess what…He IS going to the Hall of Fame for being THE most prolific scorer pound for pound the game has ever witnessed…
Dude changes his game and looked for his shot less, had 7 apg, shot a higher %, gave you 80% from the line (where he went the 2nd most times in his career!), took care of the ball better, got you the 2 steals per, and managed to give you 3 boards a night and Didn’t miss a game!!
Still you haters hate?? Have you seen him play? Do you like BBall or fo you just play the video games and play fantasy leagues?
Try somebody else with that nonsense…I know enough to know that Iverson held up his end and then some and last season was a clear example of how he can do everything right and people will still say, “yeah he disrupts the other teams offense by being one of the best in the passing lanes, but he can’t play D.” or “He isn’t big enough to guard bigger guards”
Do more than just repeat what you are told and watch the game and watch as guys don’t hustle on the break, as guys stand their watching in a free flowing offense while Iverson attracts doubles, just watch…You may pick on few things…
November 4th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Kudabeen says:
Right SayIt:
Dumars and the Pistons will maximize on guys talents not make a soap opera out of it about shot attempts on one of the highest scoring teams in the L like Denver did. Detroit has been one of the top three franchises since Dumars took over the management…(Spurs and Lakers the others)
I’m not picking Pistons to win it all, but they weren’t going to win it with Billups either…
Iverson will only help…Pistons need to be more worried about whether Sheed is going to play ball…He is the equalizer and difference maker for this team against the Bostons, Cavs, Sixers, Magic, Raptors…
November 4th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Duke says:
It’s Iverson, he gets held to a different standard. Doesn’t matter the situation, it’s always easier to blame him. That’s the truth.
November 4th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
doc says:
Melo need to stop bitchin he about to get his shine back.And if you think AI aint a fucking gunner you dont know the game.
November 4th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
doc says:
He’s a great scorer.But Sheed will fuck his little ass up if he start with that bullshit.He love Joey D now but lets see after Joe tears him a new asshole for missing that 1rst random Thursday morning practice.
November 4th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
yoda says:
to melo: first do something then ask to be asked. so far, you are only a bum
November 4th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Coop says:
Oh man I have to wade in on this. Melo, you jackass, you don’t get paid for your opinions, you don’t get paid for your management skills and you sure as hell don’t get paid to use that potato rattling around your head that you call a brain. Shut the hell up and get on with your job you sucker-punching, money-centric piece of fetid compost.
“thats the shocking thing”
no, the shocking thing is that you’re able to tie your own shoelaces.
November 4th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
go AI says:
denver keeps Karl but gets rid of AI…’nuff said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol Melo was about to cry in interview i saw
November 4th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
JoeCozi says:
I dont even know who the fuck sam smith is…just watched iverson too much…dude is nice I’m just saying I wouldn’t want to play with him and obviously neither do any other big name stars thats why its always been him and a bunch of scrubs just how he likes it!!! his game is too streaky he only scores doesn’t take advantage of his ability to get by his man-by taking them akward ass fade away ten foot leaners over a big man trying to block his shot rather then take a dribble and dish off to the man the big dude helped off of…I know the game too well don’t need no beat writers to put me on game!!! you compared him to tony parker is ridiculous tp is a pg runs the offense and can get his game off in the flow…ive needs iso’s and pounds the rock the whole possession before throwing up some bullshit…if you throw shit against the wall enough times a couple times its gonna stick!!!
November 5th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Ian says:
melo is a lazy bitch who gives afuck what he thinks
go play some d first bitch