Melo adjusts to new life with Thunder
MEXICO CITY — Carmelo Anthony has had to make all sorts of adjustments since being traded from the Knicks to the Thunder in September.
He has had to adjust going from New York to Oklahoma City. But most importantly, he has had to adjust going from being the man to being a teammate, from filling the basket to filling a role.
“For the most part, it’s just accepting the fact that you’re not going to be the man every single night or have to be the man every single night, so for me, I’ve accepted that,” Anthony said Wednesday night at the Thunder team hotel, before their 100-95 loss to the Nets Thursday night.
“Coming from where you had to be the man, the go-to guy every single night day-in and dayout, you don’t have to do that anymore. You can just try to do what you do best and try to fit in and try to do what I have to do to help the team win basketball games. So for me, that’s the biggest adjustment, but also that’s the fun part for me.”
For Anthony, scoring always has been fun — and second nature. His 24.6 points per game career average is the third-best among active players behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant. As far as shooting, he always has had the conscience of a sociopath, averaging 19.5 attempts per game regardless of defenses bent on stopping him.
But he has cut back to a career-low 16.1 attempts this season, playing alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Of the three, Anthony has sacrificed the most and done so willingly.
“Just the way he prepares himself, he’s a professional and been doing it for a lot of years,” Westbrook said. “I’ve known him for a while now, and just to have him on my team is an honor, something I definitely don’t take for granted.”
The Thunder have been at their best when Anthony has moved the ball and deferred to Westbrook and George. He had averaged 17.7 shots in their losses but just 14.2 attempts and an efficient 109.8 offensive rating in their victories.
The Thunder came into Thursday on a three-game winning streak with Anthony averaging just 12 shots in that run. In the loss ot the Nets, however, Anthony took 20 shots, hitting just five while scoring 11 points to go with 11 rebounds and three assists.
“What I’ve learned is they sacrifice a lot,” Thunder guard Alex Abrines said. “They’ve been three of the top players in the league — Melo, Russ and Paul — and they’re sacrificing a lot of their game for the team. They’ve given up their own shots to make the extra pass to get other guys more shots. It’s a big thing. That’s why the last days we’ve been doing better on the court. It’s really unbelievable.”
Anthony — who was born in Brooklyn, spent his early years in Red Hook and played seven seasons in the Garden — also had to adjust to leaving his home city of 8.5 million for a town of fewer than one-tenth of that.
“It’s different,” Anthony said. “I don’t think any place in the world is like New York City. It’s that unique. But I think Oklahoma City is unique in its own way.”
So was the opportunity to play the Nets in front of a crowd of 23,000, cheering for Brooklyn and Oklahoma City, instead of Cruz Azul and Club America. For Anthony, whose mother and late father both were from Puerto Rico, the chance to play before a huge Latino audience was deeply moving.
“For me it’s a personal thing,” Anthony said. “It’s more of a personal thing, a feeling that I don’t think a lot of people will understand that feeling. Being a Latino, having that opportunity to come to Mexico City, having that opportunity to play in front of fellow Latinos and giving them an opportunity to see me and our team up close and personal, it’s a different type of feeling.”