New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony recently said that he believes guard Sasha Vujacic can be a "big plus" for the team this season. However, that is not always how the small forward feels about Vujacic. In 2007, the two players got into a much-publicized physical altercation when Anthony played for the Denver Nuggets and Vujacic for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Back then, Anthony was captured (see video below) grabbing Vujacic's neck and dramatically clutching the latter's neck. Anthony was subsequently thrown out of the said game.
It looks like time really does heal wounds as the 31-year-old forward mentioned after practice on Sunday that he really hated Vujacic before."I hated Sasha. We got into a couple of times. He was one of them little dirty players, sneaky, grab your jersey, foul you after the play. He was speaking in his language and now I understand what he was saying to me - it makes me hate him even more back then," Anthony explained.
Then he changed the tone of his dialogue by saying that, "Having him on my team is a big plus, knowing how feisty he is. He's a vet. He knows how to play the game. He knows the system. I think having him is a big plus."
This is not the first time that Anthony opened up his personal views about his team's free agent trades. Earlier this year, he also made comments about Robin Lopez and told the New York Post that, "I hated him as an opponent. A helluva pick-and-roll guy who set crazy screens. I used to think it was dirty, but now I think they are clean."
In other New York Knicks news, guard Arron Afflalo has been reported to be sidelined because of a hamstring injury. It means that he will sit out Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers. If Afflalo is unavailable, Vujacic is expected to take his place.
"In my opinion, he's more focused on taking advantage of the opportunity that's here now. He doesn't really seem to be caught up in what could have been or should have been in the past. He's really completely present and enjoying being here," coach Derek Fisher said of Vujacic.
Arron Afflalo, 29, was signed by the Knicks this summer on a two-year deal worth $16 million deal after playing for Denver and Portland last season. He has been out since October 2."Hamstrings are just very delicate injuries. It's one of the most difficult things to balance, in terms of how much is too much. The idea with Arron is he's healthy enough to play as many out of 82 [games] as possible. If he does end up out Monday, his next chance to return will be against the Celtics on Friday, which gives him plenty of time to rest," Fisher explained.
