SAN ANTONIO — Blame me.
Carmelo Anthony, who will make his return from a three-game absence Thursday night against the Spurs, said he fully expects frustrated Knicks fans to blame him for the team’s current morass and accepts it as the marquee player of the franchise. But Anthony said his vulgar Twitter response to a heckling fan this week was “a joke.’’
“It happens,’’ Anthony said of some fans blaming him for the Knicks’ 9-21 record and lack of future assets. “Who else are they going to point the finger at? [They’re] not going to point the finger at someone else. It comes with the territory. I accept that. Honestly, that’s what gives me … I’m able to say this is what I wanted. This is what I worked hard to do and be at. I’m going to get criticism and the backlash. It happens. I accept that and I go on with my day.’’
The Post reported in Thursday’s editions Anthony doesn’t want to be “the next Stephon Marbury,’’ who became the fans’ scapegoat for the Knicks losing in the last decade, and that could affect Anthony’s thinking as he approaches free agency in July.
Meanwhile, Anthony responded to a fan who wrote on Twitter it’s “disappointing’’ rooting for him because he cares more about promoting his shoe lines than winning a title.
Anthony, who has more than 4 million followers, shot back: “ I didn’t ask for your glazed donut face ass to root for me anyway!!!!”
“It was a joke,’’ Anthony said Thursday. “It’s easy to be frustrated. It’s hard to be frustrated at the same time. Especially the state of mind that I have right now. ‘’
Melo wouldn’t talk of his future with growing speculation he will bolt if the losing continues.
“I’m not even thinking about that,’’ Anthony said at the morning shootaround at AT&T Center. “I’m trying to figure out what we and I can do on a day-to-day basis rather than what’s going to happen this offseason or in the future. When that time comes, I’m pretty sure I ‘ll have plenty of time to think about that. I’d be selfish to think about that stuff right now, especially now, the state of the team, state of being we are as a team. It would be selfish on my behalf.’’
Early in the season, Anthony said he wanted to “retire in New York,’’ but has yet to repeat the phrase as the losing mounts.
With three games in four nights in Texas, Anthony plans to play them all after recovering from a sprained left ankle, but admitted there’s no guarantee.
“If you ask me if I plan on sitting out these games, no,’’ Anthony said. “We’ll play it by ear. I don’t think there’ll be any setbacks. Sometimes you can’t control it.
“Last couple of days, it felt better,’’ Anthony added. “Enough where I am able to do run up and down and move the way I am supposed to be moving. As far being fully healthy, I wouldn’t say that, but it feels good enough to go out there and play back to where I’d been playing.’’