Carmelo Anthony, George Karl Take Shots at Each Other

George Karl called out his former star forward on national TV last night, saying he wasn’t a very committed defender. Carmelo then got, ahem, defensive about it on Twitter and to the press following shootaround this morning. From the NY Post: “Nuggets coach George Karl took a shot on TNT regarding Carmelo Anthony’s ‘defensive focus,’ prompting the Knicks’ new superstar to fire back on his Twitter account. ‘Damn R U Serious. Some people never seize (sic) to amaze me. Unbelievable. When the grass is cut, the snakes will show.’ … ‘Defense is commitment. I’ve got young guys and if they don’t give me the commitment, I’ve got other guys who will give me the commitment,’ Karl said on TNT Thursday. ‘The system sometimes ties you up from getting the commitment. You have to handle what ‘Melo gives you. I’m not knocking ‘Melo, he is a great offensive player. ‘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.’ … ‘That’s George Karl. I try not to pay too much attention to that,’ said Anthony. ‘I know what I’ve done in 7-1/2 years I was there going to Western Conference finals. I know we were top in defensive categories last year. Don’t know where it’s coming from,’ Anthony said.”