Melo making fans think about King again

You've heard a thousand times by now that Carmelo ("I'm Coming Home'') Anthony's favorite NBA player and all-around hoops inspiration was fellow Brooklyn product Bernard King.

What about King, though? What 21st-century star does he prefer?

"Carmelo is my favorite player; I enjoy watching him play,'' King said Thursday.

Really? You're not just saying that to return the favor? Melo is No. 1?

"Absolutely,'' King said, "without a doubt.''

OK, then. The parameters of the Knicks' Small Forward Mutual Admiration Club are established. Now the two are poised to have another thing in common.

King will be a studio analyst for MSG as Anthony leads their hometown team in the postseason against the Celtics -- an opponent King helped the underdog Knicks take to seven games in 1984, two weeks before Anthony was born.

As a New Yorker and former Knick, King is excited to see the franchise revived, and he picked the Knicks to beat the Celtics.

As the muse for one of its stars, he is flattered. "For a player of that magnitude, to know he thinks that highly of me is a very nice thing,'' King said.

Beyond their positions and scoring knack, though, let's not get too carried away with the similarities. When I asked ESPN's Hubie Brown, who coached King, to compare them, he said there are notable differences, especially King's brilliance in scoring on the break.

Still, King sees echoes of his game in Anthony's, a tribute he considers a "beautiful thing.'' He noted one Melo move in particular that reminds him of himself.

"It was a definitive move I made where he was raising the ball above his shoulders, above his head,'' King said. "Typically, the defender is going to straighten up and reach. When the defender straightens up and reaches, you have the ability to drive on them and step back or drive all the way to the basket.

"It sets up your next move. He does that awfully well.''

King said he "couldn't hit a three-point shot to save my life,'' nor was he ever asked to focus on that part of his game. Anthony, he said, is a more versatile force.

"You don't find impact players of his stature that can put the ball on the floor, come up for a jump shot, take it all the way to the basket, get fouled or find a teammate and pass off in traffic, and hit three-point shots, and have the ability to post,'' he said.

King, 54, occupies an unusual niche in Knicks lore. Fans over 50 tend to express fondness for the 1970 and '73 teams, and those under 40 bonded with the Patrick Ewing-led squads of the 1990s. But for many in the generation between, King's brief but brilliant stint in the mid-80s remains seared in their memories. And Anthony has brought him back into the conversation.

"I am surprised the younger age demographic actually knows my exploits as a professional basketball player, considering my career began in 1977 and ended in '93,'' King said, laughing.

"People are always bringing their kids up to get an autograph, and with the explosion of the Internet, kids have the ability to go online and watch the videos.''

Of the NBA's 50 scoring leaders between 1949 and '98, every one either is in the Hall of Fame or will be (Shaquille O'Neal), with one exception: King in 1984-85, when he averaged 32.9 points before suffering a serious knee injury. That can't be right.

"I think what I did merits that, but I am not the one to make that determination,'' he said. "I respect and honor the system and support those who have been blessed and fortunate enough to be inducted.

"But I think if you ask Larry Bird, if you ask Dr. J, if you ask Alex English, if you ask Dominique Wilkins, if you ask those guys, I think you'll know the true answer.''

Or just ask Melo.

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