For months, Syracuse fans debated exactly what Carmelo Anthony meant.
After the Orange collapsed at North Carolina last season, Anthony posted four letters on social media:
SMFH.
The timing immediately fueled speculation.
His son, Kiyan Anthony, had played well in the first half before being benched after halftime. Many assumed the Hall of Famer was publicly criticizing Adrian Autry for sitting his son.
According to Anthony, that wasn’t it at all.
Speaking with Syracuse.com reporter Mike Waters, Anthony said the tweet had nothing to do with Kiyan’s second-half benching.
“It wasn’t even about Kai not playing in the second half. I stand on it. It was a situation where I felt like we needed to make a change, and it wasn’t just about Kai. We needed to make a change at that moment in that game.”
Anthony admitted watching Kiyan sit naturally made him think “from the player to the dad.”
But he insists that wasn’t what ultimately drove the post.
“At the end of the day, I care about the winning. I care about going out there and competing.”
Instead of defending his son, Anthony says he was reacting to the direction of the entire program. Which is exactly how most SU fans felt as well.
He made that even clearer later in the interview.
“I didn’t like the way that the season was actually going.”
Perhaps the most revealing moment came when Waters asked if Anthony regretted posting the message after seeing the reaction it generated.
His answer was immediate.
“No, not at all.”
Then he explained why.
“I feel like I have the right to speak on Syracuse basketball. If I don’t, tell me. I’ll be quiet.”
If anyone is entitled to have an opinion on this program, it’s definitely Melo.
