After what was a year of many unexpected situations for everyone, this was even more true for Portland Trailblazers F Carmelo Anthony. However, the 10x NBA All-Star made the best of it and had a positive ending to his 2019-20 campaign.
After strangely being away from the game for over a year, this season served as a comeback season for Melo as he played with a chip on his shoulder to show he still belonged in the league.
After nearly a month into this season the Trailblazers ended up being the organization to take a chance on the former NBA scoring champion. It didn’t take long for him to get his groove back either, as he scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds just four games into his stint with Portland.
Needless to say, Anthony has always been known for getting buckets so you probably wouldn’t be surprised to find out that 47 out of his 58 regular season games this season he scored in double digits. He also started in all 58 of those games.
This resulted in Melo averaging 15.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 43% FG and 38.5% 3FG on the season.
“Being able to have another opportunity at this game. You know, Portland if you want to say revive is the word, but allowing me to come in and just be myself and be who I am and do what I do best. So, I will always be appreciative of that,” said Anthony. “Being on this team, I’ve learned a lot. A different energy…that time off forced me to tap into something else, dig deep in the well from a mental standpoint to be able to come out here and handle what this experience was about.”
This whole “revive” Melo carried himself well to say the least, as a true professional. His numbers showed he still has a lot to contribute to this game and he didn’t use media availabilities to call out any individuals or organizations for not signing him sooner and letting him remain a free agent for over a year.
Actually, last August (three months prior to being signed by the Portland Trailblazers) Anthony stated on ESPN’s First Take to Stephen A. Smith that he found peace within while being away from the game and it helped him get through the tough time. So, it makes sense why he was so calm throughout that whole time and once signed let his game do all the talking.
As a matter of fact, in the bubble Anthony added to his list of accolades when he passed Paul Pierce to move into the 15th spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. This accomplishment was in the midst of him being a key contributor to Portland’s run to make the playoffs with his clutch scoring that we’ve all come to know as part of his DNA.
Once the Trailblazers made the playoffs they knew the postseason would be anything but easy as their first-round opponent was the number one seed, Los Angeles Lakers.
In this round Melo averaged 15.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 39.4% 3FG.
This was a fun series to watch for hoops fans as two members of the “banana boat crew” (Melo and LeBron James) went head-to-head on the court.
However, it ended up being too much for Portland as they dealt with injuries in addition to the Lakers finding their offensive rhythm (after struggling in this area most of the bubble). This resulted in the Lakers winning the series 4-1 over the weekend.
As for what the future holds for Melo though, the Olympic gold medalist isn’t undecided on that topic.
“I pray that it could be Portland. Honestly, I think that I found a home in Portland,” said Anthony. “I got comfortable with the organization. I got comfortable with the guys on the team. They got comfortable with me, and at this point in my career I do think that that’s the best fit for me, the best situation. Especially having this experience now and kind of just getting my feet wet and just coming in and just being who I am and staying true to myself. I really hope that it could be Portland at the end of the day where we give ourselves a chance to keep this team together, get guys healthy and get another run at it.”
After being doubted and talked down on by so many people who never logged one minute in an NBA game, Melo was still a key contributor to a team that continually showed fight this season after a year of being a free agent. However, the haters never were of much concern to the future Hall of Famer.
“I don’t really have anything to say to those people. I’ve always stayed true to myself. Believed in myself. Known who I am,” said Anthony. “A lot of times good things happen to those who stay true to themselves and I’m experiencing that. I’m a prime example of that so as long as I always stay true to myself, I feel like good things happen. In the midst of me being true to myself, Portland came which was a great thing for me, a great thing for the organization. Just a great time all the way around.”
