Dudley apologizes, backtracks on remarks about Kobe and Melo
When Jared Dudley spoke about a variety of NBA topics during his appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Wednesday, the only things people cared about, and subsequently picked apart, were his scathing remarks about Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony.
As a refresher, here's a clip from his appearance.
Dudley touched on a myriad of different subjects, including Kevin Love's reputation and future with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Harden's slightly improved defense, and Zach Randolph being the league's most underrated player. However, it was Dudley's opinions regarding players not wanting to play with Kobe, and Melo being the most overrated in the league, that have him backpedaling.
Shortly after his controversial radio show appearance, Dudley stopped by ESPN New York 98.7 FM's "Hahn & Humpty Show," where he apologized for his words about Melo:
I shouldn’t have said that, that was my fault for saying that because it’s not the truth. I apologize for saying that about Carmelo. You get kind of frustrated at times seeing because of him having to make his other guys better and defensively certain things, but for me to say he's the most overrated, that was wrong for me to say.
Dudley also took to Twitter to explain and defend his stance on Kobe:
Ok Kobe fans listen to the interview. I said Kobe one of the greats! I'm laughing about his shot attempts . Most people not taking less $
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) May 27, 2015
RT @Ugly_Anna: Apologize @JaredDudley619 ( im sorry!!!!! Lol )
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) May 27, 2015
Although there's nothing inherently wrong with Dudley, or any other player, conveying his personal thoughts on players and the state of the NBA, one wonders how awkward it might be should he land on either the Lakers' or Knicks' roster at some point in his career.
Dudley is a restricted free agent this summer, and has a player option for the 2015-16 season.