Does ex-New York Knick Landry Fields think that superstar Carmelo Anthony influenced Jeremy Lin's exit from the Big Apple?
Coaches, Carmelo, and chemistry were the subjects that ex-Knick and current Toronto Raptor guard Fields - Lin's friend and former teammate - talked about in a recent interview with the New York Post.
Fields, a second-round draft pick who made the league's All-Rookie First Team in his first year as a Knick, admitted to the Post's Marc Berman in the Post's Oct. 19 article that his performance took a dive after Anthony was acquired by the Knicks via a midseason trade in 2011.
However, he did not single out Anthony as the reason for his slump before he signed a three-year, $20 million deal with the Raptors during the offseason.
"It was an accumulation of things,'' Fields said. "I thought I lost some confidence in myself. I couldn't really adjust as well as I would've liked to. I don't want to put blame on anyone else. It was just really me. I couldn't get it done.
"My comfort level wasn't there. Something I was going through personally, not even dealing with the team. It was hard not to let that carry over onto the court.
Fields shared his apartment with Lin, even lending him the famous coach to sleep on while Lin went on a 22.5 point per game tear in midseason, setting off the media frenzy over the new sensation dubbed "Linsanity."
However, Lin departed for Houston over the summer, and rumors have since been flying-highlighted by a recent ESPN Magazine article-that Anthony, the Knicks' franchise star, may have been involved in having Lin's tenure in New York get cut short.
When asked about whether Anthony had a hand in the departure of the friend and teammate who slept on his couch while becoming a star, Fields said he never received any such indication of that while he was part of the team.
"I never got that impression when I was there (but) I would value Carmelo's opinion myself if I was in the organization. He's a phenomenal player. Top 5 player in the league. I can't speak for him. If that was the case, he's definitely a guy to listen to,'' Fields said.
And what of the famous couch that Lin slept on?
When asked what became of it, Fields said, "It was a rental couch. I had to give it back. I wonder if they even know (the history). It's probably boxed up.''
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