The Carmelo Anthony to L.A. Lakers rumors have slowed down, and come to a realistic halt because of the elephant in the room.
Say what you want about Anthony and Kobe Bryant forming a potent 1-2 punch. That duo will never play together in L.A. as long as Mike D’Antoni is the head coach.
D’Antoni and Anthony reportedly have a frosty relationship, one that is still so bad, that the two men don’t even speak. Sunday the Lakers paid a visit to Madison Square Garden and the place where D’Antoni was ran out of after not being able to mesh his system with Anthony’s talents.
When asked if he got a chance to see Anthony after the Lakers 110-103 loss to the Heat, D’Antoni didn’t mince he words when he hinted to the New York Post that he and Anthony don’t speak at all.
When asked if he got a chance to see Anthony, D’Antoni said after the 110-103 loss, “I said hi to him. He said hi to me. What do you want us to be, pen pals or something? We’re fine.’’
D’Antoni was short in his praise of Anthony’s 62-point Friday record-setter and wanted no part of a question regarding Anthony’s future.
“I watched clips, it looked like he was making baskets,’’ D’Antoni said. “He’s got that ability. If he’d played the whole game he probably would’ve had about 80. Obviously scoring talent he does not lack.’’
D’Antoni, however, thought Anthony never bought into the spread-the-wealth, speed-ball attack that earned him the offensive genius label in Phoenix. It seems farfetched Anthony, a free agent this summer, and D’Antoni would make the perfect marriage in Los Angeles. But you never say never.
Asked about Anthony’s free-agent future, D’Antoni demurred: “I’m good. I just want to drink my water and watch a little basketball.’’
Yea these two men have a good shot at working together in the future.
I wouldn’t count on Melo being a Laker.