If you expected Carmelo Anthony to joust with Jeremy Lin for New York Knicks supremacy, you'd be wrong, at least for the time being.
Anthony, who has missed every game of New York's Linning streak, said he's content with allowing Lin to be New York's primary ball handler while he returns to the role he knows best -- score, score score. (via ESPN)
"When I get back Jeremy will have the ball in his hands and I'm playing off of that," Anthony said on Monday.
There has been some speculation that Anthony and Lin will have trouble sharing the same ball. Some of the speculation makes sense: Lin and Anthony are fourth and fifth in the NBA, respectively, in usage rate, a stat that measures how often a player finishes his team's possessions. They both like the ball in their hands.
Anthony hears the questions, but he's not worried.
"When I'm reading the stuff, it's more funny than anything because at the end of the day I know what I bring to the game, I know what I bring to this team," Anthony said on Monday after missing practice due to a strained right groin. "My teammates know that. But to say, 'How can I fit in?' It's easy; give him the ball and space out. I get back to doing what I know how to do best. So we'll see."
"I know there's questions about, 'Can I fit in?' and stuff like that, but this is like a dream come true to me," Anthony said. "It takes some pressure off of me. I don't have to play point guard. I don't have to try to get Amare 20 points, try to get this guy 20 points, me try to go out there and get 25-30 points a night, play defense, rebound do the whole thing."
"I don't think I want to take that away, I don't think Coach wants to take that away," Anthony said. "But at the same time, I have to get away from the ball knowing that Jeremy is the guy with the basketball, and knowing that he can create for me, for Amare, for everybody else and make other guys better."
We have reached the point where Carmelo Anthony is now discussing how he'll fit in with Jeremy Lin. It's a Lin-sane world we live in, indeed.
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