Getty Carmelo Anthony gets smothered by the defense.
Carmelo Anthony and Mike D’Antoni were never quite on the same page.
It happened during the Knicks days and in ten games this season with the Rockets.
A ten-time NBA All-Star, Anthony signed with the Houston Rockets this summer after clearing waivers in a trade that shipped him from the Oklahoma City Thunder the Atlanta Hawks.
It didn’t work out.
And apparently on National Public Radio’s program Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! recently, D’Antoni subliminally threw Melo under the bus.
In the introductory segment of the show, D’Antoni spoke briefly about his path as a coach, including both ups and downs. The most notable down was his departure from the New York Knicks, catalyzed by an ultimatum from forward Carmelo Anthony, who D’Antoni was careful not to mention by name.
Sagal: Coach, you’re known for a really up-tempo style. Do players like playing for you because of that, or is it exhausting for them?
D’Antoni: I think they like it. There’s been some that haven’t liked it, and obviously I’ve been to different cities. I’ve been fired a few times. There’s a lot of players don’t like that.
Sagal: They don’t like being fired or they don’t like when you get fired?
D’Antoni: No, they get me fired. So obviously they didn’t like to play the way I wanted to play.
The third overall pick in the 2003 draft, Anthony’s last appearance with the Houston Rockets came in a blowout loss to Oklahoma City on Nov. 8 when he had two points and five rebounds.
“Still trying to figure that out,” Sheridan said via Scoop B Radio.
“Carmelo had a tremendous approach during his time with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D’Antoni gave him,” Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey said in November.
“It’s just … finding the right opportunity is tough because unless there’s a major injury, a contender team probably wouldn’t add him. And then, a lottery team is probably looking to ‘Stop tryin’ for Zion,’ so they’re tanking in a lot of ways.”