Trail Blazers: 3 reasons why signing Carmelo Anthony was a smart move

The Portland Trail Blazers have pulled the trigger and signed the controversial Carmelo Anthony, here’s three reasons why this decision wasn’t a mistake.

Although the original plan was to ride this 14-man roster into the trade deadline and hopefully preserve some flexibility in the trade market, a disappointing 4-8 start to the season has forced the Portland Trail Blazers hand.

They have officially decided to dip into the free agent market and grab the most controversial name available: Carmelo Anthony.

There’s not many players in basketball today that will evoke such a strong reaction from audiences as Carmelo. He’s the epitome of a “you love him, or you hate him” sort of personality. As a former ten-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA player, he’s got almost as much accolades as he does baggage.

From a ball-hogging style of play, to refusing to come off the bench, to former teammates coming out to publicly voice their disapproval of his on-court priorities, there’s a lot of reasons to be concerned about this signing. But if anyone is going to vouch for the former superstar, he sure found a strong supporter.

If Damian Lillard wants to embrace the newest member of the Portland Trail Blazers, why shouldn’t we? He’s a low-risk, high-reward gamble that can be cut loose the second he begins having a negative impact on the team.

But that could be said about anyone on the free agent market. Let’s take a deeper look at the more concrete reasons why this Melo signing could actually end up benefiting Rip City.