George Karl has seen it before in the N.B.A.: the superstar who compiles impressive statistics while losing important games and finally adjusts his priorities. Karl went down the list of stars: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and even Ray Allen.

After coaching in the N.B.A. for 25 years, Karl understands how basketball has a way of teaching its most talented players the most important lessons. Eventually, the star player needs to learn to use maximum effort on defense and involve, and listen to, his teammates.

Karl suggested that the latest star to begin the transformation is Carmelo Anthony, the player he coached and tried to reason with for five and a half years in Denver. As Karl sat in the bowels of Madison Square Garden before the Knicks’ game against the Nuggets on Sunday night, he said he had noticed the way Anthony was playing, that Anthony — albeit through just 17 games this season — had changed. Yes, Anthony is averaging 26.4 points a game, which is near his career average. But he is playing mostly at power forward, lost weight in the off-season and seems to be less selfish on the court.

Karl said he was pleased to see Anthony playing at such a high level, even if he tries not to wonder about how things could have been if Anthony had stayed in Denver and not demanded a trade two season ago.