Getty Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis with the New York Knicks.
It has been over a year since the last time we saw Carmelo Anthony in an NBA uniform as a member of the Houston Rockets. Ironically, Anthony was in Houston last night as his new team the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Rockets but didn’t make his season debut.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week that Carmelo Anthony had signed with the Blazers. He also stated that Carmelo was scheduled to make his season debut on Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
On Monday night, after the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 117-110, Anthony’s former teammate Kristaps Porzingis was asked to share his thoughts on Melo, making his season debut.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to watch him play,” said Porzingis. “It has been a while, and I’m sure he is not taking this opportunity for granted. He has been working on his game and staying fit for an opportunity like this. So, I’m happy for him.”
Anthony and Porzingis were teammates in 2015 with the Knicks before the team traded Melo to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a second-round draft pick. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the deal.
Earlier this season, Porzingis was asked about his former teammate still being a free agent.
“Melo [Carmelo Anthony] looks great physically in the videos on social media and obviously one of the best offensive players of all time. So he is going to score the ball no matter what, but different situations are going on, and he wants to be in a certain place where he could win. Also, finish his career how he would like to; it’s hard to say. But I would love to see Melo on a team definitely,” Porzingis told Fanatics View.
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Western Conference Coach Weigh-in on Melo Fitting in Blazers’ Offense
Recently, Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney spoke to a Western Conference coach about how Carmelo would fit into the Blazers offense.
“The Blazers do not run a lot of post-up plays, but I wonder if they’ll put in some wrinkles for Melo, to give him some touches in the places he is most comfortable. They’re going to ask him to do some things differently than he has in the past for sure, but it’s probably on them to do some things to make him comfortable, too,” the coach stated.
“Portland is one team that’s not really afraid of the midrange, they get good looks from there. I think you set him up with those plays, just a couple times a game.”
What Number Will Anthony Wear With Blazers?
Earlier today, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Carmelo will wear the number double zero. In the past, he has worn 15 with the Denver Nuggets, Team USA and at Syracuse. He also wore No. 7 with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.
However, Heavy.com’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson recently pointed out that the number seven is available in Portland, but it was worn by Blazers legend Brandon Roy, who had his career cut short due to knee cartilage deficiencies (degenerative arthritis). The number 15 is not available because Larry Steele wore it and it is hanging in the rafters of Moda Center.
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