Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony has indicated that he is still unsure about his availability for the NBA’s return in Orlando.
Though Portland Trail Blazers team leaders CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard have confirmed they are in for the NBA’s proposed return at Disney World in Orlando, veteran forward Carmelo Anthony still hasn’t confirmed that he is in or out.
Veteran forward Trevor Ariza and big man Caleb Swanigan have, on the other hand, elected to not play in Orlando.
Speaking with Turner Sports Ernie Johnson on NBA TV’s #NBATogether, Anthony outlined his concerns with the NBA’s return.
"As far as from a physical standpoint, yes, I’m ready. I’ve been in the gym because we understand the minute that the horn goes off we have to be ready as a team. Portland, specifically. We’re kind of approaching this a lot differently than a lot of other teams. I know the focus that we have. I know how locked in we are right now and understanding what’s ahead of us, but that also makes it exciting for me and for our team because this is all new to everybody. This will be new to everybody, new environment, new situations, new circumstances, new opportunities, guys coming back healthy, so having a full team healthy that’s a big point for us.“As far as actually playing and going back down to Orlando, I’m still up in the air a little bit because I really don’t, we don’t have all the details, we don’t know a lot of information. So until we have that it’s kind of hard to just commit to it 100 percent.”"
Not only is he concerned about the potential health risks of being in Orlando, but he also touched on his work in the community around the Black Lives Matter movement. Anthony recently appeared on the front cover of Slam magazine with his son.
He discussed with Ernie how important it was for the NBA players to use their platforms and voices to push for social reform.
"I love to see the guys out there on the frontline and doing it in a respectable way, but also, those guys having the opportunity to have their voices be heard and be seen on the frontline with the people, connect with the community… I say continue doing what we’re doing, continue letting our voices be heard, continue being out there, continue fighting for what we believe in and what we stand on. The protesters and the marchers – they’re all great, but now it’s time to put that into a plan of motion and to execute. Let’s go attack some of the laws, the local laws, and let’s go attack it from that standpoint – the educational system. Let’s attack it from the ground up"
Anthony, along with other respected NBA veterans LeBron James and Chris Paul, is one of the more respected voices among NBA players. He has been at the forefront of player’s discussion around social reform and racial injustice.
He will be a significant loss for this Blazers team if he can’t participate in Orlando. There are no other forwards to sign to replace him, so we hope he will confirm over the next little while that he is available.
No player has been forced to play, so his decision will be respected regardless.