In his first press conference as a Laker, Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni was on-message. Not a word was spoken of Anthony’s on-court antics, and the topic of Jeremy Lin was not mentioned. Instead, D’Antoni spoke of teamwork on a new level. “We have a lot of young players, and we have a lot of high-energy guys on this team. You don’t have to be in shape to do things because there’s so much energy, so much enthusiasm. That’s what we want because we want to play fast, you know. We want to play with great energy.”
The Knicks made a lot of moves in the off-season, but none bigger than hiring former Carmelo Anthony coach Derek Fisher to serve as their new president of basketball operations. Carmelo has apparently taken the news badly—especially considering the fact that Fisher, as the Knicks coach, was one of the few people to try to take his team away from him.
The former NBA coach of Carmelo Anthony has taken to the airwaves to unwind the Lakers’ new signing of LeBron James, teaming up with another former Knicks coach for the occasion. On Friday, Anthony’s former coach-turned-foe Jeff Van Gundy sat down with ESPN’s Jeff Goodman to discuss why he initially cut ties with the Knicks shooting guard.
As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, so George Karl must have done just that when coaching Carmelo Anthony for the Denver Nuggets.
In Denver, Karl and Anthony enjoyed a lot of success, but they couldn’t quite get over the hump and make it to the NBA Finals. Karl, on the other hand, has never stopped criticizing his old teammate since those glorious days.
In fact, the former Nuggets coach recently added a fresh chapter to their one-sided feud by mocking Anthony’s new Los Angeles Lakers squad on Twitter.
Carmelo Anthony had a tumultuous relationship with George Karl, his former Nuggets coach.
George Karl became Carmelo Anthony’s head coach in his second season after the Nuggets chose him with the No. 3 overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft. He subsequently coached Anthony until he was traded to the New York Knicks by the Nuggets during the 2010-11 season.
Karl and Anthony made the playoffs every year they were together, and they even made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2009.
Karl, who last coached the Nuggets in 2012-13 before guiding the Sacramento Kings in 2014-15 and 2015-16, has taken numerous jabs at Anthony since his departure from Denver.
According to the New York Post, Karl published his book Furious George in 2017 and said that Anthony was “a user of people, addicted to the limelight, and extremely unhappy when he had to share it.”
Over the years, he has also taken numerous jabs at the eventual Hall of Famer’s defense, including most recently. Following Anthony’s statement that not winning a championship has kept him up at night following his signing with the Lakers, Karl responded with, “And it kept our coaching staff up at night a decade ago when we were emphasizing the value of team play and defense.”
According to ESPN, Anthony seems to have chosen the high road, stating, “I just hope he finds pleasure in what he’s doing.”
Karl, on the other hand, isn’t going to let the feud go.
George Karl takes a jab at LeBron James’ Lakers.
On Jan. 5, 2020, Carmelo Anthony of the Portland Trail Blazers warms up before a game against the Miami Heat. | Getty Images/Michael Reaves
Carmelo Anthony just signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, as previously stated. He’s forming a championship-chasing alliance with his buddy LeBron James, as well as Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
The team’s aggregate age, with nine players aged 32 or older, is the greatest worry in Los Angeles.
As a result, Karl, who is 70 years old, decided to take a dig at the team for being the NBA’s oldest.
“This squad is going directly to the 2012-2013 NBA championship,” the former coach stated in a tweet with the Lakers’ 2021-22 lineup.
Karl included a happy emoji, implying that he was kidding around, but considering his history with Anthony, it’s more than that.
Melo will most likely take the high road once again, but he has a chance to win a championship with the Lakers.
With the Lakers, Carmelo Anthony has a tremendous opportunity to win a championship.
The Lakers may be elderly, but they have seasoned players who are capable of winning a championship.
LeBron James is one of the greatest players in the NBA, while Russell Westbrook just averaged a triple-double, and Anthony Davis is one of the finest post players in the game. Anthony, Malik Monk, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, Kendrick Nunn, and Kent Bazemore are among the great shooters in Los Angeles. Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, and Talen Horton-Tucker are among the supporting cast members.
The Lakers may be ancient, but they have the superstars and supporting cast to contend for a title with ease. All that is required of everyone is that they remain healthy.
And if they do win the championship, we’ll all be on the edge of our seats waiting to hear what Karl has to say next.
On Facebook, follow Sportscasting. @sportscasting19 is our Twitter handle.
Even after his first workout in LA, Carmelo Anthony is still unable to get his head around the fact that he’s playing for the Lakers: ‘That Purple and Gold Isn’t Like Anything Else.’
Related Tags
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- los angeles lakers roster
- lakers coaches
- history of the los angeles lakers
- carmelo anthony
- los angeles lakers fichajes
