Carmelo Anthony didn't have to travel far to pick up the MVP award of the Rookie Challenge. Anthony scored 31 points, leading the sophomores to a 133-106 win over the rookies.
``I know he can play the game of basketball,'' Lebron James said of Anthony. ``Things haven't gone his way so far this year, but he's trying to get his mind straight. ...I'm so happy for him that he got the MVP tonight. It was supposed to happen this way.''
Anthony was not named to the All-Star game and had a lot to prove in the game, as he has been overshadowed by his fellow second-year players, Dwyane Wade and James.
``I go out there and I play basketball,'' he said. ``I can't put my head down because I didn't make the game. Like I tell everybody, this is only my second year in the NBA. I'm going to be here for a long time. I'm not going anywhere.''