Los Angeles Lakers: J.R. Smith leads vets in “Last Chance” in Orlando
By Ronald Agers
The Blazers are the only 8th seed that can beat the Los Angeles Lakers. Carmelo Anthony is the X-Factor!
Everyone on this list owes a debt of gratitude to Carmelo Anthony. The fact that he is on this list alone is totally ridiculous. The only thing that’s more absurd is how the Houston Rockets treated him on the way out the door. Yes, Lake Show Life saw him possibly being on the team last year too.
Through ten games, Carmelo Anthony had averaged 13.4 points a game with 5.4 rebounds, shooting 40 percent from the floor. Looking back, it might have been a set up. With a 1-11 performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder a few days after a 28-point performance against the Nets, Melo was out. For Gary Clark?
It was hard for anyone to believe this was going to work based on the past relationship of Melo and Mike D’Antoni from their past days in New York. A trade to the Chicago Bulls where he wasn’t needed and soon after Melo was on First Take basically asking for a job.
But a decimated Portland Trail Blazers roster bailed Anthony out so he continue his career. Considering how the roster has absolutely no offensive big man (Hassan Whiteside? Quit it!) as a scoring option, his ability to score could propel Portland in the playoffs if Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum get hot and Memphis and New Orleans fall off a cliff.
Plus, if you have paid any attention to Carmelo’s career, the only time he is motivated to play on both sides of the floor is when LeBron James is playing. All a team needs for an upset is to get hot. We’ve seen Melo get hot.
This season.
We started this discussion with a Laker, we’re finishing it with a Laker.