The Portland Trail Blazers signed Carmelo Anthony on Thursday, November 14th. After being a free agent for over a year, general manager Niel Oshley took a chance on the former New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets superstar. Fans around the league should love the Carmelo Anthony Signing.
Anthony joins a struggling Trail Blazers team that needs help and could use a spark. The Trail Blazers have been struggling with injuries recently. Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins are both out with long term injuries. The roster does look thinner than previous years, and Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum need Carmelo Anthony’s help.
5 Reasons to Love the Carmelo Anthony Signing
Anthony’s Chemistry with Lillard and McCollum
NBA super-trainer Chris Brickley is both Anthony’s and McCollum’s trainer. The two have been working out with Brickley as far back as ‘Melo’s days on the Knicks. Back when Anthony had requested a trade out of New York, McCollum said, “If we get him … when we get him … I think we could be top three in the West, easy.”
Damian Lillard also said that he tried to recruit Melo since 2016 and that he as been a fan of Anthony’s since he was young. This match brings friends together, and Lillard and McCollum know how to use Anthony to the Blazers’ advantage.
The Blazers Could Get a Version of Olympics Melo
Olympic Carmelo Anthony now is somewhat of a separate legend from the Carmelo Anthony we all know and (some) love. Olympic ‘Melo plays team-first basketball and is more of a catch-and-shoot player than the isolation style that made him famous.
He is a player who plays in the pace and space offense and will get most of his points being dished out to him at the 3-point line from the lead playmaker. Lillard is averaging 30 points per game, and he and McCollum will demand so much offensive attention that they could get Anthony open, or even get him in the isolation.
Anthony Can Give Proven Veteran Leadership
Anthony brings on-court veteran leadership. He is officially 17 seasons into his NBA career. He has been on great teams, and he’s been on the Knicks. Anthony did not miss the playoffs until his 11th season. He has been a winner during the regular season, just could never win in the NBA finals. The Trail Blazers need someone to keep them in check in the playoffs, while also being able to get a basket whenever needed. That is exactly what Carmelo can do.
Carmelo Can Play a ‘6th Man’ Role
If Anthony gets moved out of the starting lineup, he will most likely be given full control to play “Melo Ball.” Anthony will be able to stick with what he knows and isolate against other bench players. ‘Melo will be able to get the Trail Blazers points if Terry Stotts allows the “Melo Ball”. Even in his final year on the New York Knicks, he was allowed to play isolation basketball, and he averaged almost 23 points per game. Melo can still do this, and it was never about athleticism, it was about shooting skill and finesse, something that age does not take away.
Signing Carmelo Anthony is Signing an NBA Legend
Anthony averages 24 points. 6.5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. He revived New York basketball by himself. Though his career is not filled with NBA awards, it does not take away what he did on the court. He is a 3x gold medalist in the Olympics, and he leads Olympic basketball in all-time scoring and rebounds.
Whenever Anthony officially calls it a career, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He will forever be immortalized in Denver, and especially in New York. The Knicks traded Anthony on September 25th, 2017. Two years later, that number 7 has been untouched. That number 7 will stay untouched until it gets raised to the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
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