Carmelo says comments taken out of context; doesn't think he's underrated

In yet another example of an athlete saying something seemingly innocuous, without realizing how fervently the sports media machine will latch onto, disseminate and spin it, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony says that he doesn't actually believe he's underrated, as ESPN quoted him as claiming during Knicks Media Day.

"I don’t feel like that," Anthony told Marc Berman of the New York Post after the Knicks team practice in West Point on Thursday. "I think it was the way the course of the conversation was going. They took it and ran with it. It’s not something - I don’t get into that. I’ll let you guys write about if I’m underrated or not. I know what I can do on the basketball court. I know what I can get better at. But as self-proclaiming as me being underrated, it’s not what I believe."

Anthony called the question that provoked his publicized response "a setup," and said that, while he wasn't angry, he wanted to make clear that he doesn't feel "slighted" as a player. 

"At the end of the day, you get what you deserve," he said. "Last year we didn’t make the playoffs. We took a step backwards. Regardless of what kind of season I had statistically, it doesn’t matter. The year before it was a different year. We did have team success. At end of the day, I want to win. Whatever comes with that, I accept it.

"I’m good. I know my capabilities. I know what I’m bringing to the table with the Knicks. I don’t even think about (being underrated). If I start thinking about that, I’m losing focus on the task at hand."