Tennis Player Calls Carmelo Anthony 'Soft'
By Ross Kelly
Tennis player Coco Vandeweghe may not be famous yet, but her comments following a victory at Wimbledon may make her infamous. Vandeweghe, the 158th ranked player in the world, upset the 11th ranked Karolina Pliskova in the second round. These types of upsets happen all the time but it's what Vandeweghe said after the match about her favorite basketball team, and its star player, that really set social media ablaze:
"I just feel that Carmelo, he is a bit soft. And now, this is just my own personal opinion, I think he is soft. I don't think he has a killer instinct in his eyes, at least this last year. And I also think he needs people around him that have that killer instinct, because then that brings it out of you. And with him taking such a high salary, I think that kind of handcuffs the Knicks in being able to get those types of players that are getting big contracts. There's no way around that."
BOOM!!! Whereas Jared Dudley threw a jab at 'Melo, Coco leveled the haymaker.
If that Vandeweghe name looks familiar, it is pretty famous around basketball circles. Coco's grandfather, Ernie Vandeweghe, played for the Knicks for seven years in the 40s and 50s. Ernie's son (and Coco's uncle), Kiki, had a 13-year NBA career as a player including four years with the Knicks. He also was the general manager of the Nuggets when they drafted Carmelo in 2003. Obviously, Coco is biased towards her family but it's also clear that she's a passionate (and knowledgeable) fan.
Though it may appear that some Coco-Carmelo beef is on the horizon, the two do share a common bond; neither has ever advanced past the third round.
Ross Kelly is an Associated Producer for CBS Local Sports. He is from Louisiana and is a fan of all sports, but not of any teams (except LSU). He can be reached at ross.kelly@cbs.com.