Shakedownsports.com

Oh, Melo, what were you thinking? It seems we are subject to some irresponsible action or legal infraction by a professional athlete every week, and this week’s spotlight falls on Carmelo Anthony. It is the timing of this one that makes it even dumber.

After beating the Rockets 111-94 on Sunday night to move just ahead of the Golden State Warriors for 8th place in the play-off hunt, apparently Melo thought it would be a good idea to go joy riding in the early A.M. Anthony was coming off an abysmal 3-14 performance with just 11 points to show for it. He had to rely on teammate Allen Iverson’s 33-7-7 game to help give his team a chance of making the last seed in the play-offs.  Luckily for Melo, the Golden State Warriors lost Monday night, meaning Anthony and Co. are going to the play-offs for the 5th straight year. I wonder if he saw this from the drunk tank, or if he had already been bailed out in time?

Carmelo Anthony has been in the national limelight since he carried Syracuse to a national championship and then got drafted 3rd, two slots behind (heir apparent to league stardom) Lebron James. But what has he done since? He has averaged 24.5 ppg and made the play-offs 5 straight years, but has yet to carry his team out of the first round. His play-off stats show that his scoring is lower than his career average (24.5 to 20.8), his assists are down (3 to 1.2) and his field goal percentage is almost 7 percent lower (46.2 to 39.5).

So what is he thinking? Instead of buckling up and getting some rest before a strenuous first round match-up with the Lakers (hottest team right now), Melo is off boozing and driving around interstate 25 late at night. With the West deeper than it has ever been, to have even a shot at making some play-off progress you have to be playing your best ball. As the so-called leader of the team, it seems Anthony has resigned himself to losing in the first round of the play-offs (again) and calling it a season. Way to be there for your team. This is the best supporting cast you have ever had (Iverson, Martin, Camby, etc.). I know it is a long shot to beat the 1st seed in the first round, but I remember a certain hyped-up Warriors team doing just that last year. The difference between 1 and 8 is not that big, but I guess Melo just does not have the fortitude, direction, or the drive to make himself a premier player in this league.

No Comments »