NBA Coach Reveals Why Carmelo Anthony Isn’t Playing Basketball

Getty Carmelo Anthony of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives on Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Carmelo Anthony has not played NBA basketball since November 8 against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In an interview with Taryn Finley of the Huffington Post, Melo suggested that he is at peace with the fact he may not play much longer. “I’m sure [retirement is] coming soon,” he said.

“I’d be sitting lying to you if I said it’s not coming soon. I think I want it to come soon. I don’t think I want to do this forever, but because you love it so much, it’s hard to give it up. At the end of the day, at anything you do, when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go. But as long as you feel good with that.”

Why isn’t Melo in an NBA uniform to start training camp?

Stephen A. Smith has the scoop!

On Thursday’s episode of Power 105’s The Breakfast Club, he shared a conversation that he had with an NBA assistant coach:

“One coach said this to me, he said: ‘Stephen A this brotha is a future Hall of Famer, but I don’t think he works for my nine man rotation. How am I supposed to look down at the end of my bench and see a Hall of Famer and not think I’m going to take heat for that? Why would I want that headache? I know from roster 9 to 15, he clearly could be on any roster in the NBA. The problem is, most of those dudes are marginal talents without his resume that you could justify and get away with it and get peace of mind. That’s why he’s not in the league.”

A 10-time NBA All-Star, Carmelo Anthony has averaged 24.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his 16-year career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.

Anthony has been working out with members of the Brooklyn Nets in Los Angeles.

According to a report by SNY’s Ian Begley and Anthony Puccio, Anthony and the Nets have participated in informal workouts.

Per Puccio and Begley: “It is unknown if the Nets are one of the teams that Anthony and his representatives have talked to about a potential signing. The club’s interest level in signing Anthony to a contract is also unknown.”

Melo to Brooklyn from a basketball standpoint makes sense.

The Nets have a potent roster with names like Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie complimenting Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

The Nets will likely be without Durant this season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

“He could be a bench player asset to play and may be a good cheap replacement in a sense for KD this season,” Josh Hicks of Chicago’s Regal Radio suggested to me.

Nonetheless, the Nets have a huge season ahead.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Nets center, Jarrett Allen told AM New York’s Derrel Jazz Johnson.

“I feel like I had a pretty good season last year. I have a lot to show them. I have a lot of knowledge in my mind that I can share with them.”