If the squeaky wheel gets the grease, Mike Woodson is angling for some WD-40.
The Knicks coach went on the radio Thursday and wondered aloud why Carmelo Anthony, New York’s resident NBA superstar, doesn’t get more superstar calls. Telling ESPN Radio that Anthony “gets hit more than ever,” Woodson seemed to wonder why Anthony doesn’t get the same type of favoritism from officials that some players do.
(Wait a minute. How did this story become about LeBron James and Dwyane Wade all of the sudden?)
“I’m not going to shy away from that, either,” Woodson said. “I think ‘Melo gets hit more than ever. I’ve been at this thing 30 years, and sometimes I’m starting to wonder what’s a foul and what’s not a foul.”
The league’s head honchos heard Woodson’s remarks, but they didn’t respond by promising to give Anthony a few extra whistles next time. They fined Woodson $25,000 for “public criticism of officiating,” according to a news release.
These things tend work out in the long run, though. Expect Anthony’s free throws per game to inch up slightly from his current 7.5-per-game rate for a while as referees begin to pay a little more attention to the contact — real or phantom — that Anthony absorbs.
