Getty LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t agreed to a new contract with Carmelo Anthony, and as such, the legendary forward is currently an unrestricted free agent.
Yet, it would seem that Lakers superstar LeBron James is still a big fan of his close friend, and believes he still has something to offer at an NBA level, even taking to Twitter to share his support for the 38-year-old.
Anthony was part of the Lakers team that failed to make the NBA playoffs last season, yet the aging forward was not a significant part of their roster troubles – and was one of their most consistent performers for the majority of the season before running out of gas down the stretch.
In 69 regular-season games, Anthony averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and an assist while shooting 37.5% from deep and 52.1% from inside the perimeter – proving he can be a valuable asset off the bench, either as a ball-dominant scorer or off-ball release valve.
Celtics Urged to Consider Acquiring Anthony
Since leaving the Lakers this summer, Boston Celtics fans have been calling for the franchise to acquire the forward to provide their bench with some added firepower – and given the recent injury to veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, those calls have only gotten louder.
However, it would seem that Boston’s President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, is focused on finding some younger talent to add to his rotation, rather than bringing in another veteran who will expect a certain amount of playing time each night. Still, that hasn’t stopped former Celtics champion Brian Scalabrine from urging his former team to target the aging star.
“Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, they look up to guys like that. They looked up to Joe Johnson and Brad [Stevens] thought it was really cool to bring Joe Johnson in. I think it should be the same kind of thing. Carmelo Anthony, if you watch him on Instagram, he’s kind of helping his son out, he’s working out younger kids – I could see how there could be some advantages to having Carmelo on the roster, not just on the playing side, but also the mentoring side of our two stars,” Scalabrine said during a September 6 appearance on NBA Radio.
The Celtics are reportedly interested in signing Carmelo Anthony.
@Scalabrine is all for it!
Still, it would be a tough pill to swallow for Lakers fans if Anthony suddenly signed with the Celtics and was suiting up for them this season, especially as Los Angeles is still looking thin on perimeter shooting heading into training camp.
Westbrook Expected to be a Starter Next Season
Despite the Lakers’ lack of perimeter shooting and all the rhetoric which has surrounded the team and the future of superstar guard Russell Westbrook, it appears as though the heavily criticized guard will continue in his starting role this upcoming season.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who was speaking on a September 19 episode of NBA Today, the Lakers still see Westbrook as a starting caliber guard and are going to resist the urge to bring him off the bench.
“From what I understand now, they still see Russell Westbrook as a starter. He’s a former MVP. He’s given that respect. Everyone’s gonna compete for jobs. … Russell Westbrook is the starter there,” Shelburne said.