CARMELO ANTHONY

CARMELO ANTHONY doesn’t need to shoot his way out of this. He just needs to think about it. He’s halfway through a mid-July workout session when he catches the ball near the free-throw line, his back to the basket, dribbles once, and shakes his imaginary defender. Then he whirls, elevates, and fires a trademark fadeaway.

Except his footwork is “a little rusty,” according to his skills coach, Alex Bazzell. So “that damn