Tim Hardaway Jr Archives

Source – Carmelo Anthony Threatened to “Beat Up” Tim Hardaway Jr.

I remember the days when other teams were afraid to come to the Garden to play against the New York Knicks. Those days of Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley’s choking defence are all gone. Now, the failing team is fighting itself as it embarks on a journey that might end up being the worse season in Knicks history.

The New York Knicks were en route to their fifth straight loss last week against Brooklyn when a frustrated Tim Hardaway Jr. screamed angrily, “Get the rebound!”

Certain his second-year teammate was speaking to him, Carmelo Anthony approached Hardaway on the way down the court and used an expletive to ask Hardaway who in the world he thought he was talking to.

Anthony, according to sources, used another expletive in telling Hardaway he was going to beat him up when they got into the locker room after the game.

While the two players never wound up fighting, the episode was emblematic of the volatile state of the Knicks. Off to their worst start in franchise history at 4-19, the Knicks are a team full of discord, defiance and doubt, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

“Nobody’s taken a swing at anybody, but there’s a lot of arguing and cursing each other out after games,” one source said.

Tim Hardaway Jr Creates Good Headache For Knicks’ Coach

Tim Hardaway Jr. has impressed as a rookie — so much so, he played nearly the entire fourth quarter Thursday night against the Bulls, one of the teams the Knicks figure to be fighting and clawing with for favorable playoff seedings.

But on the horizon looms J.R. Smith, who will serve the third leg of his five-game NBA-imposed suspension Sunday. When he returns, Hardaway’s minutes should take a big hit.

“It is a logjam,” coach Mike Woodson said of the perimeter spot, which both Smith and Hardaway play, along with Iman Shumpert, and often Pablo Prigioni. “That’s a good problem to have. But somebody’s not going to be able to play a lot of minutes. So they’ve just got to understand that. When you get your opportunity, you’ve got to make the most of it to help us.”

Hardaway is trying to do just that. In 42 minutes over two games, he has averaged 7.5 points and made 3 of 7 3-pointers.

“In the Chicago game, Tim stepped up,” Woodson said. “He’s a young kid that’s poised.”

“His confidence is sky high,” Carmelo Anthony said. “His work ethic. How much time he puts in. It pays off and shows when he gets on the basketball court.”

Hardaway credits Woodson’s faith for that soaring confidence.

“Coach said before the [Bulls] game, ‘People that are playing well are going to stay on the court and here’s an opportunity to play,’ ” said Hardaway, who hit a 3-pointer that launched the Knicks’ fourth-quarter rally and feels he has shown “heart” to the staff. “Once I heard that, just tried to take advantage, just tried to do the little things: play defense, run the floor hard, box out, defend on the low post.”