Jim Boeheim Knocks Knicks, Defends Carmelo Anthony
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Jim Boeheim says former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony has no shot at winning an NBA title with the New York Knicks.
Or at least with these Knicks.
The Syracuse coach sounded off on the shortcomings of Anthony's teammates following New York's playoff ouster in Game 6 against Indiana -- and he didn't hold back.
"Not on that team," Boeheim told the Syracuse Post-Standard of Anthony, who led SU to an NCAA title in 2003. "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, in his chair, mimicked Chandler dodging, according to the paper). 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 (another dodge). Carmelo gets turnovers and the announcers aren't smart enough to even think, 'Well, the guy should try to catch the ball.' "
Fittingly, Boeheim's criticism was delivered from his office at the university's Carmelo K. Anthony Center.
POLL: WHICH KNICKS HAVE TO GO?
Boeheim served as an assistant coach on the 2012 men's Olympic basketball team, which won gold in London with Anthony and Chandler.
"Pablo Prigioni has never scored against (Team USA)," Boeheim said of the Knicks guard. "We played Argentina six or seven times in different events. He hasn't scored ... against us. You have to have players to win in the NBA."
The coach said New York has "no chance to win" with players that are "getting nothing but older."
"They're not going to get better," Boeheim said. "They need two more options. Chris Paul would be the guy. ... No one else can help them. They're not going to beat Miami. Indiana's not going to get worse, they're going to get better. It doesn't look good."
The Knicks finished with 54 wins en route to the Atlantic Division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They were bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers.
General manager Glen Grunwald surrounded Anthony with veterans like Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, and brought back point guard Raymond Felton during the offseason.
Wallace and Thomas were off the team by the time the playoffs started. Kidd was brutal throughout the postseason and Camby hardly played.
"I said to my son, 'He's going to have to get 50 for them to win,' " said Boeheim. "That's what he needed. Fifty. You're not going to get that against Indiana. They run an isolation offense so he goes one-on-one all the time. It's hard. It's hard work. They need more of an offense where he can get something going. He has to work too hard. That's not his fault. That's how it's set up."
The 68-year-old said guys like Felton and J.R. Smith "weren't great players where they were and now they're asking them to be second and third options" behind Anthony.
"In Miami the second and third options are Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh," he said. "Your fourth option is Ray Allen, who is still in good shape. Your fifth option is Shane Battier, who is still a good player. The New York Knicks have who?"
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
