Carmelo Anthony is a Punk 2006-12-21 09:33:02 | By: Troy Somero 
When Carmelo Anthony threw an open-handed punch at the jaw of Mardy Collins
in Madison Square Garden last weekend, he affirmed a sentiment that most
knowledgeable basketball fans already felt towards him. While Melo may
currently be one of the most talented, athletic and dynamic basketball
players in the NBA, his popularity should not negate the fact that he is,
quite simply, a punk.
This statement begs that question, "What is a 'punk'?" Webster's Dictionary (forgive me if this sounds like the introduction to a high school valedictorian's speech) defines a punk as "a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian". A petty gangster. A hoodlum. A ruffian. It is quite clear after following the first few years of Melo's basketball career in the limelight that Melo walks the petty gangster walk and talks the hoodlum talk. It is certainly the case that no scathing piece of evidence has done more to help label Melo as a punk than his cameo appearance in the DVD Stop Snitching. The 2004 DVD was produced by an "alleged" Baltimore drug dealer named Skinny Shuge; however, after viewing the DVD it is clear that saying Shuge is an "alleged" drug dealer is like saying Melo "allegedly" won a National Championship at Syracuse. Even though Melo should be complimented for making a name for himself after growing up in a city that has sections dangerous enough to inspire The Wire, one would think Melo would be experienced enough to stay away from those same troubles and temptations now that he is financially and occupationally secure. Whether or not Melo was an active participant in the video is doubtful. However, with all presumed guilt or innocence aside, nobody has ever seen his new and much-maligned teammate Allen Iverson in a DVD with drug dealers. Iverson has (fairly or unfairly) been labeled "punks" in the past, but he has never exhibited the same petty gansterism that Melo indirectly showed when he received a shout-out from a drug dealer in the DVD. Escaping the streets of Baltimore is a tremendous accomplishment for anyone coming from Melo's background and he should be commended for it. However, rather than embracing the chip on his shoulder that he should have taken with him to Syracuse in 2002, Melo's punkish ways showed up on the basketball court. Sure, Melo helped the 'Cuse win their first National Championship in his one year at the school, but ever his style of play in upstate New York left much to be desired. I saw Melo play first-hand in the Big East Tournament that year against Connecticut. Melo drew an unbelievable amount of fouls in the game, getting to the foul line almost ever other possession in the second half. However, he did so in a way that Allen Iverson never would: he flopped…a lot. Melo dribbled into the lane, jumped backwards after the slightest bit of contact, and fell to the ground looking for a whistle. Fortunately for Syracuse, the whistle usually blew while the 18,000-plus Big East fans in the arena sat bewildered as to why it was so easy for players like Taliek Brown and Ben Gordon to knock over a 6'8", 230-pound forward. Syracuse ended up losing the game 80-67, but more importantly Melo proved to many basketball fans in the Big Apple how much of a petty gangster he was on the court. After completing his year-long mercenary role at Syracuse, Melo achieved his goal of playing in the NBA. He also was a recipient of undeserved acclaim and foolishly unbridled support from the entire city of Syracuse, where he was virtually deemed a saint for helping the Cuse win a basketball title. Jim Boeheim spoke of his "character" and "leadership" skills, but as would be seen from his first couple season in the NBA he possessed little, if any, of either trait. With an 82-game season, countless flights, bus rides and endorsements, the average person would neither the time nor the desire to continue being a punk. Not Melo though. During the 2004 World Championships, he complained about his playing time and the coaching; however, when he actually didplay he exhibited little effort on the court and was a letdown for the roster. (Just to recap: the previous example of a so-called punk – Iverson – practically begged to be included on the 2006 team when he was left off for Melo, among others. One wonders if Melo would have campaigned more for a spot on the team or more playing time if put in a similar situation.) Later that year, during the NBA season, Melo brought a bag of weed with him on a Denver Nuggets team flight but was bailed out when a buddy took the blame for the marijuana being there. Finally, a time when it was good for Melo to stop snitching. While I am sure many NBA players – like people in any of facet of society – smoke weed, the fact that Melo did not own up to it shows how much of a petty gangster he became since his days in Baltimore. By 2005, it looked as if Melo had finally matured. He sometimes butted heads with Denver coach George Karl but overall exhibited the toughness and grit of a true gangster instead of a common street ruffian. This all changed, however, last weekend with the fight at the Garden. Melo threw an "open-handed punch" (a.k.a. man-slap) at Mardy Collins when he was not expecting it. Then, Melo ran away after he threw the punch. Then, after the game he blamed Knicks coach Isaiah Thomas, saying that Thomas warned him not to enter the lane and thus incited the whole matter. Just as it appeared that Melo had shed his punkish ways, at the first sign of weakness he exhibited them as best he could. Melo delivered a cheap-shot blow to a person who was not looking at him. Melo ran away after he threw the punch like those punks who ran out of the stands during the Pistons-Pacers brawl in 2004. Melo then had the gaul (or lack thereof) to blame someone else for his actions, just like he did for his appearance in the Stop Snitching DVD and the marijuana incident in 2004. I am not saying that I would have acted any tougher than Melo if I was at the Garden last weekend. I am 5'9", I weigh 142 pounds, and I am from Connecticut – so I therefore have few experiences in my past that even come close to what Melo had to experience growing up in Baltimore. However, one thing that I can draw on to compare us is that we are both adults and we both need to take responsibility for our own actions. If I was in that situation at the Garden, I probably would have run away too – but I would not have thrown a punch before I did it, and I *definitely* would not have passed the blame for my own actions to someone else. I am not a gangster, but I am also not a petty gangster. If Melo wants to prove he is not a petty gangster or a hoodlum, he needs to stop acting the way he has behaved during his time in Baltimore, Syracuse and Denver. The best move the Denver management made to ensure this transition was the acquisition of Allen Iverson this week. No player has played harder and fought more unfair stereotypes over the last decade than Iverson. Hopefully Melo will follow Iverson's leadership and clean up his act on and off the court. Until then, Melo will still be a punk to me and to anyone else who follows his actions on and off the basketball court, and it is redeeming to know that more people are starting to understand this as well.
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