Carmelo Anthony talked like a player who knew he’d done the wrong thing before he was even done doing it on Thursday when he addressed for the first time his ejection from the Nuggets’ loss Tuesday at the Los Angeles Clippers.
“I threw myself out of the game. I didn’t even let them throw me out of the game. Once I did it, I walked off the court,” said Anthony, who drew a $15,000 fine from the NBA for punching the ball into the stands in frustration after Quinton Ross fouled him.
Anthony added that he regretted the move as soon as he did it. He said he lost his cool over a physical second half that he felt game officials let get out of hand. Having twice hit a ball into the stands this season, Anthony was asked if this would mark the last time.
“You can’t really say that,” he said. “All I can do is try to contain my anger out there, try not to get so frustrated, go into the game knowing that I’m going to get hit.”
Nuggets coach George Karl said the two discussed the matter Thursday, but it was largely a “one-way conversation.”
Short once again
Already without Nene (right knee) and Earl Boykins (left hand), the Nuggets played without Kenyon Martin (left knee) Thursday. Karl guessed Boykins, Martin and Eduardo Najera (right knee) would not be 100 percent for the playoffs in two weeks. Najera had more bad luck in the first quarter when he sprained his right foot and ankle. X-rays were negative and he is day to day. Boykins was put in a new cast that allows him to move his fingers. He hopes the cast will be removed next week and he can begin practicing.
Karl has often pointed out the Nuggets are still on track to win the Northwest Division with three key players often out of the lineup. He bristled at the notion of preseason expectations not changing despite the injuries.
“I’m not (just) yelling at you guys,” he said to reporters. “I’m yelling at the organization, too. I don’t think the organization has done a good job of supporting some of these guys.”
Karl later said he did not mean to criticize the organization, calling his quote a “Freudian slip.”
“I said ‘organization’ when I probably meant national media and others. … I never meant the organization,” he said.
Footnotes
Karl, on a playoff matchup between Denver and Memphis or the Los Angeles Clippers: “Clippers, Memphis, us? A lot of basketball people are betting on us, I think.”…
L.A. Laker Kobe Bryant on Ruben Patterson, the self-styled “Kobe-stopper”: “He keeps throwing that bait out there. You guys keep biting on it….We’ve had our battles in the past. I’ve had some success against him. I’m happy for him. He’s actually a friend.”…
Karl weighed in on the MVP race, saying he favors Detroit guard and Denver native Chauncey Billups: “I think the best team should get the MVP. They’ve proven to be the best team in this league, and I think he’s their best player.”…
Visiting Denver on Thursday, Joe Wolf, coach of the minor- league Idaho Stampede, praised Nuggets prospect Ricky Sanchez, who averaged 8.0 points and 3.6 rebounds for his team: “I think he did a nice job knowing that he has to go through some ups and downs.”
