Carmelo Anthony is Back
24-point per game scorer for his career, Anthony is currently at nineteenth on the NBA All-Time Scoring List.
Carmelo Anthony last season as a Houston Rocket (BebopBee Inc/Flickr)
It was announced on Thurs. Nov. 14, Carmelo Anthony is signing a non-guarantee deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers looking for some depth at the forward positions due to injuries and overall lack of production.
The non-guarantee deal means he will earn $14,490 a day until Jan. 7, 2020. If the Balzers do not drop Anthony from the roster by that date a full-season deal becomes guaranteed. For Anthony, his name has been brought up as a free agent since his time in Houston. The sure shot Hall of Famer was unsigned for a majority of last season.
Comments by new teammates already becoming public. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, All-Star Backcourt for the Trail Blazers have been in a long time recruitment effort for Carmelo Anthony, trying to make them a viable destination for his trade from New York and making their want for him known in the free agency of 2018.
Reached out Damian Lillard to see what he thought of Melo joining the Blazers – he’s looking forward to it. Dame: “I believe he can help us. Obviously I’d like to see our early-season struggles turn around, and hopefully we can be part of a great bounceback for Melo as well.”
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) November 15, 2019
Anyone following the NBA has seen the almost disregard for some of its past stars these last few seasons. For Carmelo Anthony, it has been no different. Anthony a 10-time All-Star, 2013 NBA scoring champion, all-time Team USA leader in points, three gold medals (another Team USA record) and 2003 NCAA National Champion at Syracuse with the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honors as well, has struggled to get signed by a team.
The main concern as of late is his overall effort on defense. Anthony has never been known as a great defender, in the latter half of his career, the work on that end of the floor has become even less a part of his game.
Anthony started last season with the Houston Rockets where he only played in only 10 games that year before it was announced that the team and Anthony will be “parting ways” according to Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey. The Rockets shipped Melo off to Chicago where he was waived and sat out for the remainder of the season.
Houston unloading Carmelo Anthony came as a shock as he did help fuel winning efforts for the Rockets, including a 28-point performance against the Brooklyn Nets.
Anthony has become somewhat of a journeyman at this point in his career playing for a different team in each of these last three seasons. Spending most of his career in Denver (2003-2011) and New York (2011-2017), Anthony has brought scoring and leadership to the table his entire career.
Anthony was drafted third overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. In his time in Denver, he earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team and a trip to the Western Conference Finals against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
In New York, there was not quite as much success only making the playoffs and a handful of times. There was never a steady or consistent presence alongside Anthony as a Knick. Due to disagreements with Phil Jackson, who at the time was the president of the Knicks, Melo was shipped off Oklahoma City in the 2017 offseason.
Anthony’s time as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder distant to anything he had seen before in his career. The Thunder also made move for Paul George that offseason making Melo the third scorer on the team. Anthony went from being the man with the ball in his hands whenever he was on the floor to taking a step back and letting the offense come to him. After a first-round exit in the 2018 NBA Playoffs, the Thunder decided to release Carmelo Anthony, who then was picked up by the Rockets and off to Houston.
Carmelo Anthony has been in countless interviews stating his passion for a desire to want to play in the league since his departure from Houston. Staying active in his time off as well as sharing multiple workout videos with NBA players and legends. Could Anthony be the missing piece for Portland?
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