After not playing in the NBA for more than a year, Carmelo Anthony made a comeback in November, inking a deal with Portland Trail Blazers. As it turns out, Blazers didn’t come calling, Melo would now be retired.
Anthony recently made an appearance on CJ McCollum’s Pull Up Podcast and spoke about his time away from the league. According to the 35-year-old, he was ready to call it quits if NBA teams continued avoiding him.
“I told my agent ‘Nobody’s calling? You know what? If nothing happens by this date, I’m announcing my retirement. I’m at peace with letting the game go,'” explained Anthony.
Since his disappointing 10-games stint with Houston Rockets at the beginning of 2018/19 season, it seemed that NBA teams didn’t want to get near Anthony despite his glowing resume. It almost looked like the league moved on from him, and that his iso-skills are not desirable in this modern NBA. The fact that he is a defensive liability also didn’t help.
But after the injuries and bad form pressed Portland to get creative, Melo finally was able to step on the NBA court once again.
“I really needed Portland.” he added. “As much as they needed me from a basketball standpoint, I needed Portland for other reasons. I always say god don’t make no mistakes. This came at a pivotal time for me, and I’m taking advantage of it and it shows.”
While Anthony isn’t posting any head-turning numbers, he is proving to be more than a solid starter for the Trail Blazers. He played a total of 50 games in 2019/20 and averages 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
