NBA
NBA Rumors: Carmelo Expects to Score Less
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated16 Oct 2023
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Carmelo (Anthony) says that playing in the triangle (offense) will likely mean he takes fewer shots and scores less this season. #Knicks
In 2013, Carmelo Anthony led the league in scoring with 28.7 points per game. Last year, Anthony’s 27.4 points ranked second in scoring behind only Kevin Durant. Entering this season, it seemed like Anthony would once again be in the mix to win the scoring title, but the veteran forward doesn’t think so.
Anthony recently told reporters that he will be shooting and scoring less in the triangle offense that Knicks GM Phil Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher are implementing.
“I don’t think I’ll be the scoring champ,” Anthony told ESPNNewYork.com. “Especially with this system, the way we’re playing — the way that it’s going to be well-balanced, the style of play we’re going to have, I don’t think I’ll have to lead the league in scoring this year. … I think shots will be fewer. I think it will be more effective shots. So if that means taking fewer shots, then that’s what’s going to happen.
“What I like so far is, throughout the game you don’t have to really focus on getting me the ball or me trying to score in bunches or just coming down and throwing the ball to me and everybody just watching. Everybody will be part of the game; everybody will feel like they have something to do with the game.
This could be good news for the Knicks, as it would give them more of a balanced attack. And if Anthony isn’t having to score as much, it likely means he’s getting more help from his supporting cast. Last year, New York’s second-leading scorer behind Anthony was J.R. Smith, who averaged 14.5 points per game.
It’s interesting to hear Anthony say this now, but keep in mind that he made a similar prediction prior to the year that he won the scoring title.
Lakers will waive Jeremy Tyler so that he can sign a deal in China, league sources tell Yahoo. Tyler will not dress for Sunday’s game.
After the Lakers waive Jeremy Tyler, he’s expected to sign with a team in China.
This would be the second stint in Asia of Tyler’s career, as he also played for the Tokyo Apache in Japan during the 2010-11 season.
It remains to be seen which team Tyler will be joining in China, but this is likely the best move for his career. It was unlikely that he would make the Lakers’ roster given all of the big men on their roster.
The deal he signed with the Lakers was a non-guaranteed camp invite, so it’s not a big surprise that he won’t be on the team.
Tyler entered the league as a second-round pick back in 2011, after he made headlines by skipping his senior year of high school to play overseas in Israel.
Tyler has had stints with the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, but he hasn’t been able to stick in the league.
“Did I want to be traded?” said Kidd, whose Bucks play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday. “I think once [the Nets] OK’d the talk to Milwaukee, that just showed, whatever you want to call it, rumors or no rumors that they wanted to fire me in December had to have some legs.”
Kidd was alluding to reports by ESPNNewYork.com and Yahoo! Sports about how management strongly considered making a coaching change last December when the Nets were in the midst of a 10-21 start but Russian ownership stuck with Kidd.
Jason Kidd seems to believe the rumors that the Brooklyn Nets’ front office wanted to fire him in December, but that ownership decided to stick with him even after the team’s rough start.
The Nets bounced back in the new year, and ultimately ended up winning 44 games and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
It seems this could be why Kidd asked for more power and why he felt more comfortable at the helm of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Nets ended up trading Kidd to Milwaukee for a pair of second-round draft picks.
