by Marcel Mutoni / @ marcel_mutoni
So far in this young NBA season, Carmelo Anthony is shooting 7.5 free throws a night (slightly down from his 7.6 FTA last year, and a career average of 7.8 attempts.)
Melo has complained about not getting similar calls to other marquee players, and Mike Woodson thinks the refs are robbing his superstar — Anthony is tied for fifth in the L for trips to the line.
While discussing the New York Knicks’ heartbreaking 103-96 overtime loss to the visiting Indiana Pacers, the head coach said Anthony was fouled when he attempted (and missed) a potential game-winning shot against Paul George late in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night.
Per Newsday:
Mike Woodson believes that Carmelo Anthony isn’t getting the favorable whistles many superstars get from the referees. “Absolutely not,” Woodson said Thursday on ESPN Radio. “I’m not going to shy away from that either. I think Melo gets hit more than ever.”
“I’ve been at this thing 30 years,” Woodson said. “Sometimes I’m starting to wonder what’s a foul and what’s not a foul. What are you going to do? They can’t see everything and I understand that. Sometimes they miss calls. I thought he got bumped on it. Hell, he didn’t get the call so we have to move on.” […] “He is a gifted offensive player who has the knack to draw contact and get fouled,” Woodson said. “The offense normally has the advantage when you’re making plays at the rim. Melo draws a lot of contact, there’s no doubt about that, but he comes up empty sometimes.”
The numbers show that on attacks to the cup, Carmelo Anthony gets fewer whistles than say, James Harden and LeBron James. But it’s also worth noting that Melo is an extremely physical player, who often initiates the contact with defenders.
League disciplinarians may soon be in touch with Woodson for calling out the refs, adding yet another headache for the sputtering Knicks (3-8).
