A week after reiterating his desire to return to the the NBA, Carmelo Anthony is getting his chance, as a Thursday report indicated that the Trail Blazers are signing the 10-time All-Star.
While it’s great news for Anthony, the move has received mixed reviews from those in Portland. Jason Quick of The Athletic views the signing as a “why not?”-type move for the Blazers, writing that even if Carmelo can provide some offense, he’s unlikely to help the team on the defensive end, which Quick argues has been the source of many of Portland’s problems in the early going. The longtime Blazers beat writer adds that the signing seems “forced” and “desperate,” though he acknowledges that it will at least make things more interesting after a disappointing start to the season.
While I agree with Quick to some extent, I’d point out that the Blazers haven’t been much better on offense (15th in NBA in offensive rating) than defense (19th) through 12 games. I do think they could benefit from adding more offense at the forward spots.
Outside of Rodney Hood, the club has gotten very little out of its forwards so far, with offseason additions Kent Bazemore (8.2 PPG on .358/.340/.667 shooting), Mario Hezonja (5.5 PPG, .319/.320/.824), and Anthony Tolliver (3.2 PPG, .244/.242/.778) all struggling on offense. Anthony gives Portland a more dynamic scoring option in its frontcourt.
Here’s more on the Carmelo signing:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic and John Canzano of The Oregonian make similar arguments to the one put forth by Quick. Hollinger is skeptical that Anthony can help the Blazers, but admits there probably weren’t better options out there, while Canzano considers the signing a “Hail Mary” that will make the Blazers’ season more compelling, even if it doesn’t ultimately work out.
- It may be in Anthony’s best interests to emulate Dwight Howard, writes Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. Howard, once a perennial All-Star, has accepted a modest, complementary role and is thriving with the Lakers this season. It’s possible Anthony could have a similar trajectory in Portland if he’s willing to accept his limitations.
- Whether or not his stint with the Blazers goes well, Anthony deserves this shot after all he’s done in his NBA career, says Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt adds that it’s a low-risk move for the Blazers, who could simply release Carmelo by early January without guaranteeing his full-season salary if things don’t work out.
Ugh those shooting percentages.
I’ve been saying Portland (and Indy) disregarded their 3&4 positions but those numbers are way worse than expected.
Tolliver looked stressed; he may not be 3-able.
So is this hoodie melo or regular melo?
GSW should trade Draymond to the Blazers, he’s the missing link on that team
First, who is Portland going to ship back? Bazemore?
Second, why would Golden State jettison their best big man? Are they rebuilding or something?
Three, a bunch of good rotation PF’s become available Dec. 15th. Portland is at least going to want to see how that market develops before making a deal for someone like Draymond.
Jason Lancaster Pretty sure he’s trolling. It’s obvious Draymond is going nowhere, they just have to wait for Klay and Steph to be healthy again and they’ll be fine.
If the Warriors were smart they would do exactly what OKC did last summer. They can keep the team together and pay all luxury taxes they want, but their mini-dynasty is over. Rebuilding is their best option.
I’m so glad we got Melo. And glad it happened sooner rather than later. I think seeing Dwight Howard thrive on the Lakers had to play a part in this, I just wish we hadn’t missed out on him. Imagine having kept Harkless and Leonard, Whiteside staying in Miami, and then signing Howard and Melo? That team would be insane. I’m just hoping we can hold it together with only 2 bigs until Nurkic and now Collins comes back. Gasol should be close to returning, i’m praying that he doesn’t have any setbacks. I don’t feel the sense of panic that I did in years past as a Blazers fan, I definitely feel that they can bounce back.
The problem with Melo is that he’s going to take inefficient shots, blow defensive assignments, and distract the team. He’s highly unlikely to help them win more games.
If they kept giving the rookie Little minutes, he becomes more valuable player for the future, and he’ll have more trade value too. And Dec. 15th, they can make a trade for a good veteran PF and move forward.
I don’t see how adding Melo is going to do anything for them short term, and it’s going to hurt them long term. The move seems desperate, which is a bad sign this early in the season…makes me think someone is getting antsy about staying in Portland.
Agreed. At least Howard has a defensive skill set that is useful to LA. LA does not need much offense from him. Portland’s defense is what is sucking (ranked 22 out of 30) while offense is nearly top 10 (#12). Melo is not going upgrade their D.
Wonder if DHowards Cinderella story has anything to do with Carmelo’s signing…