Carmelo Anthony Suspended, Knicks Reacts
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks forward, was suspended for one game after a recent squabble with Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett but seems to have the support of his team.
Anthony recently made headlines after some trash talking with Garnett in a recent game against the Celtics led to the Knicks star waiting for his opponent outside of Madison Square Garden. ESPN reported Anthony's suspension on Wednesday night.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson explained his position on the matter.
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"There are no circumstances in which it is acceptable for a player to confront an opponent after a game," Jackson said in a statement. "Carmelo Anthony attempted to engage with Kevin Garnett multiple times after Monday's game and therefore a suspension was warranted."
Before the NBA ruled that Anthony would be suspended for one game without pay, the Knicks forward said he did not predict any repercussions for his actions.
"If you just go off the actual facts of what happened, I don't think anything will happen," Anthony said in an ESPN report.
Knicks head coach Mike Woodson, defended his player one day prior to the NBA's rling.
"Guys, you're singling out one incident. Melo's been great all year," Woodson told the press after practice Tuesday. "He had a bad game the other night. If he had a great game and we lost that game, we probably wouldn't be saying that."
However Tyson Chandler, Knicks center, thought things were taken too far on Monday night in a game that started with a technical foul for Anthony and Garnett and ended in authorities being called after the game.
"I think it was a little too much, in all honesty," Chandler said on "The Michael Kay Show" Wednesday. "I felt like Melo wanted to have a conversation man to man (with Garnett), and I respect that."
Although Anthony would not reveal why he felt the need to address Garnett after Monday night's game, the Knicks forward did not hesitate to defend his actions.
""It's certain things that you just don't say to men, another man," Anthony told the press Tuesday. "I felt that he crossed the line. Like I said, we're both at an understanding right now; we handled it the way we handled it. Nobody needs to know what was said behind closed doors. So that situation is handled."
