Carmelo Anthony 'can't wait' to play in triangle offense
After a disastrous Knicks season in 2013-14 and a three-and-a-half year run in New York that has produced only mild team success, Carmelo Anthony decided to put his faith in Phil Jackson and commit to the Knicks long term.
Of course, putting your faith in Phil Jackson and by extension rookie head coach Derek Fisher means putting your faith in the triangle offense. And by the sounds of it, Anthony is fully embracing the new-look attack he'll be featured in.
"I haven't been broadcasting it, man. But I've been at the facility for the last couple of weeks with the young guys, with the coaches, trying to figure out that triangle offense," Anthony said at his Citi Carmelo Anthony Basketball camp in Manhattan, via ESPN New York.
The former scoring champion can barely contain his excitement. "When people say spots, I'm going to be all over the floor in the triangle. It makes it hard to guard, it keeps all eyes off of you. I'm looking forward to it, I've been saying it all summer. I can't wait."
Earlier this summer when an instagram photo of an obviously slimmed down Anthony went viral, it was reported that 'Melo had dropped weight to better suit the triangle, which features more movement and cutting off the ball.
"I think people kind of overreacted to that. I love to work. I love to train. It’s the accumulation of a lot," Anthony said.
"Kind of switching up my eating habits, kind of taking on new workout routines, training a little different, trying to test myself and challenge myself differently from a training aspect. Also, I took maybe a week, two weeks off this year, so I was still in the mode from last training camp. I took maybe two weeks off over the year, and this is the result you’re seeing now."
Anthony usually takes about a month off after the season, but took less time this year because last season left him feeling angry, he told ESPN's Ian Begley.
A slimmed down Anthony in a more functional offense could wreak havoc considering he's already a former scoring champion with a career scoring average of 25.3 points per game. Though, the triangle will require a complete buy-in from a player who has a penchant for ball-stopping and stagnation.
It sounds like Anthony's buying in right now, but every player buys in during the summer.