Carmelo Anthony’s play all but guarantees he’ll be on an NBA team in 2021. But will it be for Portland? Here are a few destinations worth considering.
When Hall of Fame players like Carmelo Anthony speak, perhaps we would be wise to listen. Merely two weeks into his NBA return, the 10-time All-Star offered the ultimate bet-on-himself statement, and one that drew humor from some:
“This ain’t a damn farewell tour. My love for the game don’t stop. I don’t know where this ‘farewell tour’ thing came from. I’ve never talked about a farewell tour. I know what I can do and I believe in myself. When a farewell tour comes, it comes.
That’s not something I think about. I’m not thinking about retiring right now. I had (thought about it) during this past stretch over the summer. But ain’t no retiring in my mind. I believe in what I have left.”
Since that sit-down with Shams Charania of The Athletic, Anthony has not only talked the talk, but walked the walk, too. Volume be darned, Anthony’s producing the most efficient season since 2016-17 — his final All-Star appearance — and simultaneously, he’s played his role to a tee, producing a +2.9 on-off swing as a Portland Trail Blazers player.
It’s become one of the great redemption stories in recent NBA history. The only downside is that while Portland sees and appreciates it, so too does the rest of the world.
It feels like a guarantee to say Anthony played himself onto a roster beyond 2019-20, either as a featured option or a bench anchor. But what happens in between Jul. 31 and Oct. 12 will help fill in major blanks to questions such as: how does this new Anthony look in a potential bench role? How does he operate in a Playoff series where teams can game plan for him?
Because there will be little else to do in both Orlando’s “bubble” and the quarantine life outside of it, the rest of the NBA world will be watching when Anthony takes center stage. And for that reason, it’s worth mapping who Portland’s potential competition for Anthony could be this summer.