New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony had a fascinating Friday. After reports that the Boston Celtics were not interested in trading for him, but the Los Angeles Clippers and Knicks were trying to find a third team to facilitate a deal, Anthony shot poorly against the Charlotte Hornets, heard boos and fans yelling "Trade Melo!" and then hit the clinching shot to give New York a 110-107 victory. When he spoke to reporters, he called all the distractions "mentally draining."
"You've got to deal with that, even though I try not to read it, and everywhere you go, even if you don't hear about it, somebody is telling you about it, somebody is saying something," Anthony said of the trade rumors and drama around him and the Knicks. "It can be mentally draining, mentally fatiguing."
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"Yeah, I enjoy that," Anthony said with a smile when asked about the fans booing him. "I enjoy it."
Asked if it takes a unique kind of guy to handle playing in New York City, Anthony replied, "Yeah, Melo."
"You've got to be cut from a different cloth to take this day in and day out and to deal with this all day long every day," he said. "You've got to take the good with the bad. I don't know how I do it, but I do it."
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"Without a doubt," Anthony said when asked if he has even more respect for what [Patrick] Ewing went through. "As a student of the game, you know what people go through in their own respective situations. Knowing the history of the game and knowing the history here and the players, he was one of those guys who kind of can relate to what I'm going through. Being able to still try to perform at a high level and block everything out, I mean, that's somebody I can say understands what I'm dealing with."
Ewing, of course, was shipped from New York to Seattle in 2000-01.
"It wasn't his fault," Anthony said with a laugh. "It wasn't his fault."
Another tidbit from that story: Before the game, Anthony told reporters he was listening to Frank Sinatra. He was trying to stay calm.
Some people might scoff at Anthony calling his job "mentally fatiguing," as he is compensated extremely well for dealing with the pressure that comes with playing New York and the trade speculation that pops up from time to time for most players. Despite the fact that he's making $24.6 million this season, though, he has legitimate gripes with how this season has unfolded. Anthony has a no-trade clause and has publicly stated he wants to remain a Knick, yet team president Phil Jackson is reportedly "determined" ship him elsewhere. There is no way it can be easy to do your job when it feels like you're being forced out of town.
Anthony, by the way, also told reporters he still believes New York can make the playoffs, adding, "We're right there." The Knicks are 21-27 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, but they are indeed only two games back of the eighth spot because so many other teams are struggling. I guess that's what Anthony has to focus on to keep himself locked in right now.
