Even George Karl can’t deny that Carmelo Anthony has matured since his days in Denver. Per the New York Post, Melo’s old coach spoke to reporters about his ex-superstar prior to yesterday’s game at the Garden and said:
“I feel Melo is going to win a championship some day…He’s going to figure out that numbers and stat sheets aren’t important. It’s the team scoreboard and intangibles in a game that makes winners champions.”
When a reporter followed up with Karl and asked about whether Anthony focused on his own numbers too much in Denver, Karl Added:
“I can say that about everybody I’ve coached in my career except Chauncey Billups and Nate McMillan. I can say that about Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and a lot of great young guys I’ve had the fortune of coaching. Ray Allen is a better player than when I had him in Milwaukee. The defense he’s playing now is not the defense he played in Milwaukee. Michael Jordan didn’t win any championships his first six years.”
While Karl credited veterans like Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd for much of Anthony’s improvement, Karl’s endorsement of the “mature Melo” isn’t one to be taken lightly given the less than perfect relationship that Karl and Anthony had in Denver. Knicks fans just got another reason to be optimistic.