Here's what Carmelo Anthony thinks of Durant going to Warriors – New York Daily News
LAS VEGAS — Kevin Durant never granted the Knicks an official meeting during free agency but Carmelo Anthony maintains that he was in constant contact with Durant in the days leading up to the July 1 recruiting period.
“I don’t think you guys know the backstory, but I don’t want to get into all of that, as far as not meeting with us, or meeting with us,” Anthony said on Tuesday. “I don’t want to get into all of those details. We talked. Me and him talked. We were in constant communication.”
Anthony and Durant were training together in New York City in late June and at the time Anthony remarked that he was acting on behalf of the Knicks, which the league does not consider tampering since Anthony is a player.
“We were together, and he made his decision,” Anthony said following Tuesday’s practice with the U.S. national team. “So for anybody to judge that, I think is wrong. He made a decision based off of what he felt was good for himself at this point in time in his career, and he made that.”
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The NBA’s top free agent, Kevin Durant (c.), never meets with Knicks but Carmelo Anthony gives him the New York pitch during USA Basketball training camp. Durant eventually picks Golden State.
(Joshua Dahl/USA Today Sports)
Durant announced on July 4 that he was signing a two-year contract with the Golden State Warriors. Durant had met with the Warriors, Clippers, Heat, Celtics and incumbent Oklahoma City Thunder over three days in East Hampton over July 4th weekend.
The Lakers and Knicks were both hopeful to get a sit down with the top free agent on the market but that never materialized. It marked the second straight year in which Knicks president Phil Jackson did not meet with the top free agent available. In 2015, LaMarcus Aldridge cancelled his meeting with the Knicks because he wasn’t interested in Jackson’s plan to play him at center.
The Knicks had several factors working against them when it came to landing Durant. For one, he was a big supporter of Derek Fisher and once Jackson fired Durant’s former teammate as head coach that hurt the Knicks chances. Also, Durant made it known that he was only considering teams that he believed improved his chances of winning an NBA championship.
Durant’s decision to go to the Warriors is a polarizing one.
(Beck Diefenbach/AP)
In the end, Golden State was the obvious choice since the Warriors had reached back-to-back NBA Finals and has a young roster featuring Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
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“I knew he was meeting with them,” Anthony added. “I knew it was on the schedule. He had to make that decision. That was on him to make that decision. Just from talking to him and being around him, he’s happy, he’s at peace with that decision, and everybody else should be at peace with that decision. If he’s at peace, everybody else should be at peace.”
Durant has come under fire for taking what some, including Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley, have called an easier road to chase a title.
Durant bolts on All-Star teammate Russell Westbrook (l.) and Oklahoma City.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)
“I respect the hell out of Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley,” Durant said. “I will never say a bad word about them. They can say whatever they want about me. I chose to do something, I chose my own path, I did something I wanted to do. They had their careers, and they did what they wanted to do. They’re great players, ambassadors, someone I looked up to. I can’t control what they think or how they feel, for that matter. I am excited about the future.”
The fallout from Durant’s decision has been dramatic. The Warriors are the favorites to win the 2016-17 NBA title while everyone from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has strong feelings about the move. Cuban said the Warriors will now be seen as the villains of the NBA while Silver admitted that Durant leaving a small market for the Warriors was “not ideal” for the league.
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“I thought about it, but in life when you make decisions based on everyone else, I think it’s the wrong decision,” Durant added. “I can’t make a decision on my life because everyone will be upset about it. I told myself to put myself first, and this is what I really wanted, so we’ll see what happens.”
