Carmelo Anthony Tells Amar’e Stoudemire to Worry About Defense Not Shots


Hey, remember when Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire were brought together to form then next great duo in the Eastern Conference? Neither do we! Anyway, the two frustrated Knicks stars are now trading thinly-veiled shots through the media. Per the NY Post: “After each of the last three games — all losses — Stoudemire has stated a lack of ball movement has led to the Knicks’ 3-10 start as they enter Wednesday’s game against the Clippers at Staples Center. Of course, the implication is the culprits are Anthony and J.R. Smith, both of whom have reputations for playing too much isolation ball. Anthony instead claimed the Knicks have stunk out the court on the other end. ‘It’s just defense at this point,’ Anthony said. ‘The easiest thing to do is try to point fingers and trying to figure out what’s going on — [like] ball movement. At the end of the day it’s defense, we’re not guarding anybody.’ The lack of moving the ball has been a staple of Stoudemire’s rhetoric since Anthony got to town. And Anthony isn’t surprised fans think Stoudemire is pointing the finger at him. Iman Shumpert also talked about ‘the ball sticking’ after the Portland loss Monday. ‘It’s easy to do because at the end of the day, I have the ball most of the offense,’ Anthony said. ‘When you hear that, where it’s coming from, why is it being said, the real reason we’re not winning is we’re not defending. We’re not believing or trusting in one another on the defensive end.’ […] Coach Mike Woodson wants them focusing on defense and also disputed Stoudemire’s share-the-ball thesis. ‘I’m not going there with you on that,’ Woodson said. ‘Melo’s having another solid season. Melo’s doing what he’s supposed to do. Everybody else has to do what they have to do. Nobody’s shooting the ball extremely well. But everybody’s getting shots.'”