“Carmelo said the other day that he didn’t know I was unhappy but that isn’t true. I was never unhappy,” Metta told The News. “I never once complained about not playing. I never once went to Mike Woodson to ask him why I wasn’t playing.”
“Kobe doesn’t give a (bleep), he just wants to win,” Metta said. “Melo needs to be more demanding and he needs to see results. The only difference between him and Kobe is that Kobe saw results. When Kobe said something people did that (stuff). Carmelo has no choice but to make it his personality because he’s a great player. There are not too many guys like him.”
“There were times when me and Kobe (Bryant) would be yelling at each other,” Metta said. “I once told the greatest player ever, ‘You suck.’ Our practices got intense and the next day we’d go out and take it out on the other team.”
“But here we are more cautious. In practice with the Knicks I would address some of the issues we were having because I wanted to win. I didn’t hold back. I addressed it. I won’t tell you what it was. But there is a more cautious atmosphere in New York. The players have to be meaner than the media and the fans. You’ve got to be more aggressive and meaner.”