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As the Melo drama over a potential Carmelo Anthony trade to the New Jersey Nets intensifies, the man himself appears to be on a spin-control PR blitz. Hot on the heels of Anthony’s guarded ESPN interview comes a Sports Illustrated story in which he complains about fans’ anger. And yesterday on his Twitter feed, he paraphrased Martin Luther King Jr., tweaking the quote in telling ways.
First, that MLK Day tweet:
The true measure of a man is not how he lives in times of prosperity but in times of adversity “less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhoneCarmelo Anthonycarmeloanthony
This statement appears to allude to the following Martin Luther King Jr. line: “The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.” However, Melo trades “comfort and convenience” for “prosperity” (a subject with which he’s intimately familiar) and “controversy and challenges” for “adversity” — which lends the sentiment a bit more of an everybody’s-against-me feel.
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That’s also the tone of several quotes in Sports Illustrated‘s preview of its Melo feature, due for release tomorrow. As in the ESPN chat, Anthony emphasizes his desire to handle his contract situation differently than did LeBron James, with whom he talks regularly. But he also gripes about Nuggets fans he sees as unappreciative.
“People throw away that whole seven-and-half years, and that’s what makes me laugh,” he says. “Because I’m like, me? Out of all the people, you’re booing me? Out of all the people.”
In fact, there have been relatively few boo birds at Nuggets games to date, especially considering the many months trade rumors have lingered. But this Sunday, when I have tickets to see the Nugs take on the Indiana Pacers, I’ll be able to get a personal sense about whether this situation has changed.
If Melo’s still on the team, that is.
More from our Sports archive: “Carmelo Anthony trade: Melo using Twitter to vent and whine about rumors and haters.”
