Los Angeles Lakers: 4 reasons to buy or sell Carmelo Anthony
By Ronald Agers
Reason No. 1 to pass on Carmelo Anthony: The NBA has passed him by!
One of LeBron James’ best buddies, Dwyane Wade, is starting his farewell tour this year…
Maybe Carmelo Anthony should start thinking the same way. Anthony’s career has taken a fall off the cliff since he left New York. His skills were starting to wane before all the drama of him forcing his way out of a Knicks uniform.
That fact was hidden with all the dysfunction of the Phil Jackson feud, the constant coaching and offensive scheme changes, the lack of talent around him, you know…the world of a James Dolan run team.
The Oklahoma City Thunder trade at the time looked very good. Couple Melo with Paul George and Russell Westbrook and the “Big Three” can carry the franchise to a Western Conference Finals matchup with the Warriors. Can’t miss scenario right?
Not even close. The Thunder tried to turn Carmelo into a 3-point shooter to space the floor. This is something that is not a strength of the aging star. Plus, he needs the ball in his hands to be a first option player. In OKC, he was the third option.
By the time the playoffs came around, the secret was out on Carmelo Anthony; he couldn’t stay in front of anyone. The Utah Jazz picked on Anthony mercilessly in the pick and roll.
Time after time over the first round series they would expose Melo into one-on-one matchups with Donovan Mitchell on the switch. By Game 5, Billy Donovan had Carmelo watching from the sidelines as the Thunder was upset in the first round by the Jazz.
The Thunder era ended the same way as the previous stops did…UGLY! After balking at the idea of coming off the bench, Melo was traded to the Atlanta Hawks and was quickly bought out. With this ten game mess, you could see the end for Carmelo Anthony.