Carmelo Anthony glad that Jeff Hornacek came to his defense
Atlanta Hawks' Dennis Schroder and an official separate the Hawks' Thabo Sefolosha, left, and New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony after they were called for a double technical against each other on Dec. 28, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Credit: TNS / Curtis Compton
NEW ORLEANS — Jeff Hornacek scored points with Carmelo Anthony when he came to his star player’s defense following his ejection from Wednesday’s game in Atlanta.
Hornacek said he didn’t blame Anthony for pushing Thabo Sefolosha away because from his vantage point the Hawks player had his arms around Anthony’s neck. Anthony was thrown out for forearming Sefolosha in a battle for a rebound.
“I just know that I have somebody who has my back, who has the players’ backs,” Anthony said Friday morning. “At the end of the day, I don’t think he was wrong for saying what he said. He gave his perspective on what happened. I think it’s good when you have kind of the head guy in charge, kind of sort of, the head guy in charge, looking out for you. … I respect that.”
Anthony feels this type of support could go a long in the locker room.
“I think it’s important,” Anthony said. “I think it’s always important to see that coaches have their players’ back. I think all players want that. That’s what sports is about, when you can have that camaraderie and that trust in one another from the coaching staff down to the players.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
