Dallas reporter calls out Mavericks fans for not welcoming Carmelo Anthony
By Mike Dyce

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is making the rounds on free agency, having made stops in Chicago with the Bulls and visiting with the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Fans and reporters have camped out of arenas to see Anthony walk into and out of a building, but in Dallas it is a different scene.
Mavericks fans aren’t camping outside of American Airlines Center awaiting Anthony’s arrival. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Mavericks beat writer Dwain Price doesn’t understand it and called out Mavericks fans on Twitter.
Well I'm at the AAC waiting on Carmelo to show up...and commit to the #Mavs. Where is everybody?
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) July 2, 2014
Where are all the Welcome To Dallas, Carmelo signs? The #Spurs virtually gave a parade during J-Kidd's free agency a few years ago.
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) July 2, 2014
Too bad the fans that were at Victory Park yesterday aren't here today to welcome Melo to town. Take off from work again. #ghosttown
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) July 2, 2014
Here's the scene at Victory Park outside American Airlines Center. pic.twitter.com/1DlftCT48M
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) July 2, 2014
The scene Price is referring to is the watch party hosted by Major League Soccer team FC Dallas for the United States’ World Cup game against Belgium, which looked like this:
Let's do this! #US @FCDallas pic.twitter.com/l9CqqrmN6n
— Santiago Aguilera-Vanderheyden (@chagoaguivandy) July 1, 2014
So far so good. Dallas is ready to blow up for a USA goal! #USA #USA #USA #DTID pic.twitter.com/gAnHh6CFmO
— FC Dallas :) (@FCDallas) July 1, 2014
NOTHING IS OVER TIL WE SAY IT'S OVER! #USA #USA #USA pic.twitter.com/ZIZpQNSFjS
— FC Dallas :) (@FCDallas) July 1, 2014
You made us proud @ussoccer and you made us proud #Dallas. Thank you. Let's get #DTID again. pic.twitter.com/mNxOEQqTg9
— FC Dallas :) (@FCDallas) July 1, 2014
Of course there are multiple reasons besides the extreme heat in Dallas for Mavericks fans not to camp out, but let’s first start with the Jason Kidd comparison. Kidd did not sign with the Spurs so the parade didn’t work, and multiple Mavericks fans pointed this out on Twitter, including myself. In a direct message Price told me “He was coming. The wife he had at the time nixed that deal. She was a model and wanted to be in New York.”
Perhaps Price is unaware of Anthony’s famous wife who prefers to stay in New York City as well.
On to the reasons why Price’s questioning of Mavericks is way off base. For starters, at the time of his posts Anthony was still in Houston. Note the time of Price’s tweets and this post from Marc Stein at the end of the Rockets meeting.
Six-hour meeting for Rockets & Melo today including lunch. Meeting with Mavs that was supposed to start this afternoon on deck after flight
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 2, 2014
It corresponds with Fox 26 in Houston’s Mark Berman’s Tweets about Dwight Howard’s post-meeting comments from Dwight Howard and Clyde Drexler.
Dwight Howard on meeting with Carmelo: "just told him whatever decision he makes is going 2 be 4him. Ask God 2give u the right insight(more)
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) July 2, 2014
Clyde Drexler took part in Rockets meeting w/ Carmelo: "It was just a really good meeting. Carmelo is probably 1 of the best scorers(more)
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) July 2, 2014
That meeting in Houston lasted a lot longer than two hours. Closer to five. Spanned lunch and it was 4 p.m. before Melo headed to Dallas.
— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) July 2, 2014
Aside from that, the Mavericks are reportedly not even meeting with Anthony at the Americans Airlines Center, at least according to ESPN Dallas’ Tim MacMahon and the Dallas Morning News‘ Eddie Sefko.
Pretty sure Mavs/Melo meeting is at private location, but we've got 2-man media stakeout at AAC just in case. Plus, what else we have to do?
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 2, 2014
No confirmation yet, but it doesn't appear that Melo meeting with Mavericks will happen at AAC. More likely someone's house (Dirk/Cubes?)
— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) July 2, 2014
So hear that Mavericks fans? Go stand outside the American Airlines Center in 91-degree heat for a meeting that isn’t even occurring there. [UPDATE:] It was suggested Price could be kidding, I asked and have had no response yet.