Nobody would know better than Nuggets coach George Karl whether Carmelo Anthony is different than he was in Denver.
Karl said Anthony is growing and maturing, but gave most of the credit on his transformation to champion teammates Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler.
Karl said before facing Anthony and the Knicks last night at the Garden his former star is finally getting it and will lead the Knicks to a championship in due time.
“I feel Melo is going to win a championship some day,’’ Karl said before the Knicks’ 112-106 victory. “He’s going to figure out that numbers and stat sheets aren’t important. It’s the team scoreboard and intangibles in a game that makes winners champions.’’
Anthony scored 34 points in his return from a two-game absence from a wounded middle finger, carrying the Knicks home with a 11-point fourth-quarter closeout. But Karl, who praises Anthony grudgingly, didn’t think the Nuggets did a bad job on him, believing Anthony got some nice calls and shot 14 free throws in the first half.
“We can’t complain about the game we had against Melo,’’ Karl said. “If he doesn’t get to the free-throw line, we did a great job. I thought there were a lot of gifts in the first half.’’
Karl was grilled about Anthony before the game. His praise was hardly overwhelming. He said the Knicks aren’t winning just because of Anthony.
“I don’t think it’s him by himself,’’ said Karl, listing a slew of other Knicks.
When asked specifically whether Anthony was focused too much on numbers in Denver, Karl said, “I can say that about everybody I’ve coached in my career except Chauncey Billups and Nate McMillan. I can say that about Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and a lot of great young guys I’ve had the fortune of coaching. Ray Allen is a better player than when I had him in Milwaukee. The defense he’s playing now is not the defense he played in Milwaukee. Michael Jordan didn’t win any championships his first six years.’’
Karl said the influence of the leaders in the Knicks’ locker room — Chandler and Kidd, most prominently — is perfect for Anthony.
“What do you think?’’ Karl said when asked whether he thinks those guys have shown Anthony the way. “One part of coaching today is how you mesh veteran players with talented players and with young players and try to make them grow up into championship players. How you speed up that process is part of coaching in the NBA.’’
Anthony said on day one of training camp scoring wasn’t as important to him as defense and doing little things on the court this season. He’s scored and done the little things.
“He’s always had the skills to do it,’’ Karl said. “It was the consistency and commitment of doing them every game. What I see is a team that gets down in the fourth quarter of close games they’re playing with a mad-dog personality and he’s a part of it.
* Both Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby missed last night with sore left feet. Wallace was bothered two weeks ago by his foot, but missed just one game. He reaggravated it Saturday in Chicago. Camby missed his fifth straight game with plantar fasciitis.
* Karl, whose Nuggets entered the night at 10-10, isn’t declaring a winner or loser on the blockbuster Anthony trade. “It was win-win,’’ Karl said. “I know you can’t write that. You need a point-counterpoint on who won.’’… The Knicks have four players on their roster who played for Karl with Denver — Anthony, J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton and Camby. Anthony and Karl never saw eye to eye on a lot of things and it was believed to be one of the reasons Anthony demanded a trade. “I think me and Melo will be fine in the future,’’ Karl said. “I think J.R. and I will play golf one day and laugh at all the turmoil.’’