Carmelo Anthony doesn't believe he's an underrated superstar

Carmelo Anthony backtracked from his comment in an ESPN interview, saying it was taken out of context and that he doesn't consider himself an underrated superstar.

"I don't feel like that," Anthony said Thursday after practice. "I think it was just the course of the way the conversation was going. They took it and ran with it. That's something I don't get into.

"I let you guys write about, 'Am I underrated or not?' I know what I can do and I know what I've done on the basketball court. I know what I can get better at. But as far as you know, self-proclaiming me as being an underrated superstar, that's out of my league."

The interview, which took place during Monday's media day, hasn't aired yet. But ESPNNewYork.com reported that Anthony laughed after saying, "I think I'm the most underrated superstar that's out there, but that doesn't matter to me."

Anthony said he was watching TV and saw it on the scroll, but he didn't seem surprised or necessarily bothered by it.

Anthony is a seven-time All-Star and former scoring champion, but he is not held in the same regard as LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant. The major reason for that is James and Bryant each has won multiple titles and Durant has led his team to the NBA Finals.

Criticisms of Anthony have stemmed from his tendency to shoot too much and his teams' inability to advance deep in the postseason; he's been out of the first round only twice in 10 playoff appearances. He seems to understand that if his teams won more, it would change how he is perceived.

"Yeah, at the end of the day, man, you get what you deserve," Anthony said. "Last year we didn't make the playoffs. We took a step backwards. Regardless of what type of season I had from a statistical standpoint, it doesn't matter. Then the year before that, it was a different praise when we did have some team success.

"So at the end of the day, for me I want to win, that's the only thing I want to do. I want to win. And whatever comes with that, it comes with it, I accept it."

Anthony, who finished third in the MVP voting two seasons ago when the Knicks won 54 games, wouldn't say if he feels slighted. He said he's concerned only with winning.

"I don't know, man," he said. "I don't even think about that, to be honest. If I start thinking of that, I'm losing focus on what's the task at hand."

Anthony certainly isn't underrated by his peers or other NBA teams. The Knicks offered him a maximum $129-million contract over the summer, and he signed for $124 million to give them more financial flexibility. The Lakers and Rockets were willing to offer Anthony the max they could pay, and the Bulls and Mavericks also were prepared to give him a sizable deal.

"I'm good, man," Anthony said. "I know what I'm capable of doing. I know my capabilities. I know what I can bring to the table. I know what I'm bringing to the table now here with the Knicks. I'm only going to get better. We're only going to get better. And at the end of the day, we're fighting for that one thing."

Notes & quotes: Derek Fisher says he hasn't settled on a starting five but that when he does, he hopes to use it consistently rather than matching up with other teams. "It's my belief that players respond better to consistency," he said. "So hopefully we'll be able to keep it that way once we settle into it." . . . Fisher says all positions are interchangeable in the triangle offense. Anthony said at one point, centers Cole Aldrich and Samuel Dalembert were on the wings. "When you see that, you're like, 'What the hell are we doing?' " Anthony said. "But it's all within the system, within the offense, and there's no wrongdoing within the offense. It's very detail-oriented."