LeBron James sees Carmelo Anthony as playmaker
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defends against Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
LeBron James has taken note of Carmelo Anthony’s assists this season, but he isn’t surprised by it.
Anthony entered Saturday night averaging a team-leading and career-high 4.2 assists per game.
“It’s nothing new to me,” James said. “I’ve always seen him as a playmaker. He’s been able to, even in college, even in high school, make guys around him better.
“I think people dubbed him as a scorer very early and it’s always stuck with him, because he’s a very good scorer of the basketball. But to be able to have a growth mindset is something that we always talk about between us, us four, and he’s showing that this year, for sure.”
The four players James likely is referring to are himself, Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. James was quoted in Bleacher Report this past week saying he hopes to play with his three friends before their careers are over.
James was asked if he feels for Anthony as he nears the end of a third straight losing season. He chose not to answer.
“It’s hard for me to comment on their situation because anytime I comment on anybody else’s situation, it gets blown out of proportion,” he said. “I just want my good friend to be healthy and play the game that he loves and be happy about playing the game that he loves. But I’m not going to comment on the state here. It’s not my position.”
Relax, Langston
Interim coach Kurt Rambis said the Knicks remain high on second-year guard Langston Galloway, but he needs to relax.
“A shooter has to be relaxed and he has to be confident,” Rambis said. “Sometimes it looks like he’s very tight out there. He’s got to be free, and we’re encouraging him to do that.”
The reserve guard played only 25 minutes in the two games before Saturday night, including a season-low nine Wednesday night in Chicago. Rambis said Galloway’s minutes have been “disrupted” because the Knicks have more guards this year.
Galloway entered Saturday night averaging 24.6 minutes and shooting 40.2 percent from the field. He averaged 32.4 minutes and shot 39.9 percent last season.
“We like his defense, we like his ability to organize and execute our offense,” Rambis said. “We just continue to challenge him to broaden his game . . . He’s just not playing at his best right now.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
