Portland Trail Blazers: Neil Olshey says Carmelo Anthony will be on bench

In the first press conference, Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey has said that Carmelo Anthony will come off the bench, but he may still close games.

Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey had had his first press conference of the new season, where he talked about team personnel and the free agency and trade period. When asked about Carmelo Anthony, he touched on the importance of the NBA legend and first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Olshey said that Melo was the most important signing in terms of team culture, adding that many of the young guys on the team looked up to Melo as kids and that he was huge for the team because of his stature and the respect he is held in, inside the locker room.

Regarding questions from media around his on-court role, Olshey said he had discussions with Melo about his role and that he would likely come off the bench. He also added that Melo’s clutch plays down the stretch of games, and his shot-making ability meant that he would likely close games.

Fans only need to cast their minds back to the Bubble seeding games where he made five or six huge shots down the stretch of games. The Blazers wouldn’t have won certain games if it wasn’t for Melo and his clutch shooting.

Though some fans will be disappointed to read this, it is better for the team if he plays at the end of games rather than the beginning.

Carmelo Anthony is still a key member of this team, and Olshey acknowledged this in-depth during the press conference.