OKLAHOMA CITY — Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said he could not care less about Charles Barkley’s rant against him. The rotund TNT broadcaster blamed D’Antoni’s easy coaching style for rookie point guard Iman Shumpert’s out-of-control game Thursday in Memphis.
Shumpert shot 3 of 15 in the first half and 5 of 20 overall with six turnovers in the disaster, when the Knicks fell behind by 25 points before losing 94-83.
Barkley, who has had a vendetta against D’Antoni since they each lived in Phoenix, railed against the Knicks coaching staff for allowing a rookie to take 15 first-half shots. Barkley, according to sources, dislikes D’Antoni ever since D’Antoni dismissed a Barkley attack by wondering the whereabouts of Sir Charles’ championship rings.
“I don’t hear him,’’ D’Antoni said yesterday. “It means nothing.’’
D’Antoni said he has been in Shumpert’s ear but said he will not be heavy-handed at this stage.
“We talked a lot,’’ D’Antoni said. “He knows he’s not supposed to take all those shots. We showed him the tape and where he needs to move the ball. You also don’t want to jerk him out and put a damper on his enthusiasm. He’s out there competing on both ends and he made some mistakes. He’ll work through that. He’s a good kid and not selfish. He’s a great kid.’’
* Carmelo Anthony said it would take “a miracle’’ for him to suit up tonight as he battles a sprained left wrist and right ankle suffered in Memphis. Anthony missed nearly the entire second half and is hoping to return for Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee vs. Orlando at the Garden, but that is no certainty. Stoudemire missed two games with a sprained ankle earlier this month and that could happen to Anthony.
“I’m shooting for [Monday], I’m hoping for it,’’ Anthony said.
Asked which hurts more, Anthony said, “Both of them. Both of them are pretty sore. The ankle’s sore.’’
Anthony did not practice yesterday but did remove his walking boot he wore after the Memphis game.
“They wanted me in crutches but it was messing my swag up,’’ said Anthony.
He also wore a wrist brace yesterday, saying the pain was “shooting up into my hand and fingers.”
* Bill Walker, who scored 14 points off the bench in Memphis, gets the start tonight for Anthony. “I can’t be anybody else, Walker said. “I’ll take my shots when they’re there.’’… The bench will be helped by Jared Jeffries’ return, but he looked rusty in a scrimmage.