Trail Blazers: Carmelo Anthony is back, and he’s here to stay

Having finally established a comfortable role on the Portland Trail Blazers, it’s clear to see Carmelo Anthony still has a lot left in the tank.

Many were right to be skeptical when the Portland Trail Blazers announced the signing of controversial former superstar Carmelo Anthony. No other teams were willing to take a flyer on Anthony and to some it appeared as an early act of desperation for a Portland team off to a rough 5-9 start.

In the midst of a six-game road trip, Carmelo joined the team and was forced to learn the playbook and offensive schemes on the fly. To make things even more difficult, the Trail Blazers were missing Damian Lillard and Hassan Whiteside in two of Anthony’s first three games in black and red.

This level of instability was the cause behind an understandably rough start. Anthony scored 13 points per game on a very poor 34.1 percent shooting from the field in his first three games, all resulting in losses (two coming to New Orleans and Cleveland, teams the Blazers should bulldoze straight through).

Critics brought their harsh words in haste, after this poor start. Even the New York Times published a hit piece on the NBA’s most vulnerable target.

Since then, Carmelo has played at a level anyone still thought possible. Now familiarized with Portland’s system and joining Lillard, Whiteside and CJ McCollum on the floor, Anthony has helped propel the previously floundering Trail Blazers to 7 wins in their last 11 games.

Anthony has averaged an impressive 17.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during that span, while shooting a hyper-efficient 45.2 percent from 3-point range. He has also rediscovered his iconic mid-range jump shot, which is practically unguardable once Melo gets hot.

Dame was quick to offer his endorsement for Carmelo in an interview with Rebecca Harlow of MSG Networks.

"“[Anthony’s] presence has been huge in the locker room, having another voice, another guy to speak up that people respect. When we on the floor, other teams respect him being out there. The balance that he’s giving us on the floor and off the floor has been great. It’s been a joy to have him on our team.” — Lillard"

He’s truly rediscovered himself in head coach Terry Stotts’ system, as the forward’s assist rate on field goals made is higher than it’s ever been this decade. Anthony is allowing himself to play within the flow of the offense and in turn this approach to the game has offered him more open looks than ever.

Most importantly, Carmelo’s sheer presence on the floor has helped alleviate the offensive burden off Lillard and McCollum’s shoulders. Too many times we’ve seen Dame or CJ get doubled at the top of the key, just for their open teammate to clang an open shot off the front iron. Now, Anthony is demanding opposing team’s respect and opening up more space for Portland’s star guards to operate.

Just take a look at the enormous impact he’s had on McCollum’s performance:

• CJ without Melo: 14 Games, 21.3 PTS, 3.4 AST, 42.5 FG%, 35.6 3P%
• CJ with Melo: 14 Games, 22.7 PTS, 4.1 AST, 49.0 FG%, 39.6 3P%

While McCollum was always bound to experience a little bump in efficiency after a slow start, that enormous rise in shooting percentages are clearly indicative of the gravity Carmelo has on opposing defenders.

With six of their next eight games coming against teams with losing records, the Portland Trail Blazers have a real opportunity to take a step closer back to .500 and re-insert their name into the playoff picture. While reaching that goal begins and ends with Dame, it’s going to take a player like Carmelo to push him in the right direction.