Jim Boeheim: Carmelo Anthony Needs More Help In New York


Jim Boeheim says Carmelo Anthony needs a lot more help if he’s going to take the New York Knicks to a championship.

The Syracuse head coach would know a thing or two about it. In 2003, he took a team centered on then-freshman Carmelo to win the national championship, and did so with a strong supporting cast around Anthony.

Boeheim has followed Carmelo Anthony as the former Orangeman star took over the NBA, but says it’s frustrating to watch Carmelo on the Knicks.

“Not on that team,” Boeheim told the Syracuse Post-Standard over the weekend. “He did what he can do. He played very well the final game. Everybody’s killing him, but Tyson Chandler just didn’t try to catch the ball.”

“He threw him the ball and Tyson Chandler went like this,” Boeheim said as he made a dodging motion. “He was wide open. He should have been looking for the ball right here. Kenyon Martin should have been looking for the ball.”

“They both went like this,” Boeheim said and dodged again, according to the Post-Standard. “Carmelo gets turnovers and the announcers aren’t smart enough to even think, ‘Well, the guy should try to catch the ball.’ ”

The New York Knicks had a disappointing exit to the playoffs, falling in six games to the Indiana Pacers. After a season with 50-plus wins, the team’s best in years, the Knicks were expected to at least advance to face Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“It’s tough,” Anthony said after the Game 6 loss. “We all know what was the goal that we had set. Everybody wants to go to the championship, win the championship, that’s the ultimate goal. Unfortunately our run had to stop here.”

Boeheim thinks Carmelo won’t take the Knicks over the hump until he gets a better supporting cast.

“He can’t do it by himself,” Jim Boeheim told ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning about Carmelo Anthony. “And by the way, neither has anyone else … Go through the list and history. Every great player had a great player with him that’s won an NBA title. I think you can look pretty closely at that.”

Share this article: Jim Boeheim: Carmelo Anthony Needs More Help In New York
More from Inquisitr