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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 28, 2018

Carmelo Anthony

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. How do you think your first season as a Thunder player went?
CARMELO ANTHONY: First I'll just start off by saying that it kind of has been -- I'm very appreciative of the way that you guys were able to like kind of implement me into this community and this city and the organization, so I'll just say thank you guys for that. On the flipside of that, it just -- for me, I think this season, as an individual, it was very kind of challenging for me as far as kind of coming here at the last minute, right before training camp. You know, being willing to kind of sacrifice kind of my game and style of play, coming to a new situation, not -- kind of not knowing what to expect, having to figure it out on the fly, figuring it out on the fly and accepting that, and kind of just taking the other challenges that comes along with that transition. I thought we did kind of a great job of just adjusting to that and figuring that part out.

I know that the season didn't end the way we wanted to, wanted the season to end, but I think any time you're going through a transformation, these are the steps, and these are the things that is going to happen. And it is -- there's just some things that we have to evaluate. There's some things that we have to kind of step away from the game now, even -- although -- there's just some things as a team, as individuals, as an organization have to evaluate in how we want to move forward.

Q. Do you see yourself coming back for a second year?
CARMELO ANTHONY: Yeah. I mean, it's -- you jump right to it. I mean, it's something that -- like I said, I have enjoyed my six months, seven months here. A lot have went into these six months. But I think now it's more about just kind of reevaluating everything, me individually, career-wise, team-wise, just the things that you have to step away from the game now that you have the time to and kind of just get away from it for a little bit and almost reevaluate everything.

Q. What's the biggest thing you're looking for out of a career at this stage in your career? What's the ultimate thing you want, you need to have done and accomplish?
CARMELO ANTHONY: Well, winning. I think winning will always be the most important thing for me at this point. I think also just figuring out -- I think we have to figure out exactly what we want to do and how we want to do it as a team, as players. I think that's the biggest and most important thing that we all have to figure that out this off-season.

Q. What was the biggest challenge for you this season?
CARMELO ANTHONY: I think just being -- I don't want to say stripped, but I think just challenging me to be a different type of player, a different caliber player, a guy who for 14 seasons has been a certain type of player and to kind of be challenged and tested and say, okay, we need you to be this player, this type of player, this caliber of player, very different than what I was used to before in the past. I think for me, that was the most challenging part of it.

But also being willing to accept that, understanding the situation and the circumstances that I was handed to.

Q. How did Billy Donovan kind of help you accept that new role, make the transition?
CARMELO ANTHONY: Well, I think it wasn't so much of making the transition from New York to Oklahoma City, it was more so making the transition of playing a certain way for 14 seasons and then switching to a completely, totally different style of player in this one season. And it was more so me going to Billy and asking him what did you need from me in order for this team to be successful. And like I said, all of that happened on the fly. I had to learn that on the fly. It wasn't planned. Maybe Billy had a plan of how he wanted to go into training camp, and then you had another component of me being traded in the 24th, 25th hour, so now it was like, oh, how are we going to implement this component into what I already have going on. There's a lot of things that went into play this season.

Q. Your leadership and your veteran presence in the locker room has been very clear from the outside. How hard is it to balance that status in the locker room with, while you're undergoing your own transformation at the same time?
CARMELO ANTHONY: Well, yeah, that's natural. That's not something that's forced. That's just something that happens, you know, having a presence and being there for your teammates, remaining positive, being positive throughout any type of, quote-unquote, adversity. I think some of the adversity that we faced this season wasn't really adversity to me because I've been face-to-face with adversity over the past four or five years, and I wouldn't call it adversity what we've been through this year. I would call it more of a learning curve and more educational than anything else.

Q. When you talk about the player you've been and the player they wanted you to be, do you feel like you can excel as the guy they want you to be, or moving forward, do you need to reevaluate what your role is?
CARMELO ANTHONY: Yeah, I think the player that they wanted me to be and needed me to be was for the sake of this season, should I say, because it was just so -- like I said, everything was just thrown together, and it wasn't anything that was planned out. It wasn't no strategy to me being here, me being a part of the actual system and what type of player and things like that.

As far as being effective as that type of player, I don't think I can be effective as that type of player. I think I was willing to accept that challenge in that role, but I think I bring a little bit more to the game as far as being more knowledgeable and what I still can do as a basketball player.

Q. You said the things you faced was more of a learning curve and not true adversity. From your experience being in a lot of different locker rooms with a lot of different teams, what made this group special that some of the things that were challenges didn't turn into adversity? What was special about the locker room and the group of guys you had here?
CARMELO ANTHONY: Yeah, I think this locker room -- well, I don't think, I know, this locker room and group of guys were always trying to figure it out. We never had an issue of guys going left, guys going their own way. Like we always stuck together, even when things weren't going our way. We all rallied together, and we believed in one another. But we didn't also believe -- like we knew the type of players we had, the type of people we had. So when you know the type of people that you have around you, it's easier to face those learning curves head on, face-to-face, and get through it together.

Q. There's a narrative that Russell is difficult to play with. You've obviously seen a lot from the outside, now you've seen it from the inside. I'm wondering what you think of that narrative.
CARMELO ANTHONY: Yeah, I wouldn't say difficult. I wouldn't say that. I think he's established himself as playing a certain type of basketball. We've all -- I think we've all established ourselves as playing a certain type of basketball, but I think in order for us to take that next level, we all have to sit down and figure out what do we -- what each of us bring to the table. What can we bring to the table to make the pieces to the puzzle fit. So when I say kind of sitting -- reevaluating kind of what's going on, because at the end of the day, you've got to take your hat off to Russell, as well, because this was new to him, as well. It was new to myself, it was new to Russ, it was new to Paul. Like we all -- this was a new situation to us.

I think we understand what we can be as a team. It's just a matter of how are we going to implement that. How are we going to utilize each other's assets and each other's talents to figure that out.

Q. When you guys have conversations with each other, do you talk at all or come to your own individual decisions in terms of what you do?
CARMELO ANTHONY: No, it's -- I think everybody has their own decision to make. We talk, we communicate. I think that's the beauty in having the friendship and the relationship that we all have. Like it is something that we discuss. It is something that we talk about. But I think at the end of the day, like right now, we all have to just go back and kind of get away from it now and reevaluate kind of the situation.

And everybody has their own evaluations that they have to evaluate. I think everybody's situation is a little bit different.

Q. You talked about being effective or trying to be effective in the way the Thunder wanted you to be effective. In what way do you see you being a more effective player?
CARMELO ANTHONY: I mean, to be honest with you, I became who I am by playing the way that I've played and establishing a style of play and a type of play throughout my career. So now it's about figuring out what is the best way to implement that game into something that we're trying to create, and it's not taking away nothing from Russell or Paul or anybody else, or myself per se. I think we just all have to figure out how we're going to play and what's the style of play and what's most effective in the way that we're going to play. I think that's something that we have to figure out.

Q. If you guys all come back, how much better can you be next season?
CARMELO ANTHONY: I think if we all come back, I think this season would be -- we would look at this season and we would say this was like, I don't know, preseason or training camp, in what we would be next season, if we all came back, as far as having a year under our belt, being able to get settled. That transition period would be over with, that learning curve. We would have a lot of information that we can take from this season, and we can build on that. But like I said, that comes down to kind of the evaluation period at the end of the season.

Q. What do you think Paul is going to end up deciding on?
CARMELO ANTHONY: Wasn't Paul just in here? What did he say? I mean, I can't speak on another man. I don't know. I mean, I don't know. That's something that he has to sit down with his family, his team. I mean, the word I keep using is reevaluate and evaluate the situation. That's what Paul is going to have to do. I think we all have to figure that part out.

Q. Is it an exciting thing? Is it a nerve-racking thing when you're one of the more coveted guys on the market?
CARMELO ANTHONY: I mean, to be honest with you, as a player, as a competitor, like you feel -- I mean, it's an honor to be wanted. I think that's the most important thing is to know that other teams want you and other players want you to play with them. But I think at the end of the day, the decision would come down to kind of what's best, what's best for you as an individual, what's best for you and your family. So that's not something that I can actually speak on on behalf of Paul. I mean, he's just got to take his time and talk to his family and kind of evaluate everything that's going on around him. I mean, it's not -- I don't think it's an easy decision. Any time you're in these situations, it's never an easy decision because there's so much that goes into players, there's so much that comes along with that. You have this person saying that and this person saying that, and there's friends, family, people that's close to you. There's a lot of things that goes into that decision.

Q. All year the Thunder, Billy, the players on the team talked about how much you sacrificed. I guess kind of two parts: Going into next year with all the sacrifices you've made, are you willing to -- if they come to you and say, sacrifice the salary you're making, maybe restructure what you're doing and spread it out for a certain amount of years, or are you willing to sacrifice playing time or even a possible bench role?
CARMELO ANTHONY: Yeah, I'm not sacrificing no bench role, so you can -- that's out of the question.

As far as sacrificing -- I don't even like to talk about financial, finances and the economics of the game of basketball. When that time comes, that time will come if and when we have to sit down and talk about what's the future and ideas and situations. That time will come. I honestly don't even feel comfortable sitting here talking about money and basketball because at the end of the day, yeah, we all play and we're in this game to take care of our family and make money and make the most money that you can possibly make, but that's already done. Those contracts are already guaranteed, like that's going to happen. I think for me, my focus would be on kind of figuring out what I want out of the rest of my career, what I want in my future, what am I willing to accept, if I'm willing to accept that at all.

I think everybody knows that I've sacrificed kind of damned near everything, family, moving here by myself, sacrificed my game for the sake of the team, and was willing to sacrifice anything and everything in order for this situation to work out. So it's something I really have to think about, if I really want to be this type of player, finish out my career as this type of player, knowing that I have so much left in the tank and I bring so much to the game of basketball.

And how long I want to continue to do this, I think that's also a thought process, as well.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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