Carmelo Anthony Says Kobe Bryant Won’t Recruit Him to the Lakers

The impending free agency of superstar forward Carmelo Anthony will dominate the conversation in the land of the Knickerbockers all season long. The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most obvious suitors for Melo’s services next summer, but once again, Anthony says he doesn’t expect to end up in Hollywood. Per the Knicks Blog: “Carmelo Anthony says he doesn’t expect his friend Kobe Bryant to recruit him to come play for the Lakers. ‘No, I think Kobe respects me as a ballplayer, as a person, as a friend, so I don’t think none of them phone calls will be coming next,’ Anthony said Friday after practice. Technically, Bryant or any other player can’t tamper with Anthony during the season, but that wouldn’t stop Anthony from considering playing alongside Kobe. And it would be hard to demonstrate that the two had been in touch during the season anyway. LeBron James was in touch with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh before they all teamed up in Miami, and it is now in vogue for NBA stars to team up in an effort to win a championship. […] Anthony continues to insist he doesn’t want to talk about his impending free agency and said he told coach Mike Woodson before the season began that it wouldn’t be a distraction. ‘Actually I went to him before the season and told him, ‘Don’t even think about worrying about me as far as let that interfere with my game or with this team because I’m not, so you shouldn’t,’ Anthony said.”