2. Carmelo Anthony
I am someone who was advocating for the Los Angeles Lakers to sign Carmelo Anthony and was happy when it was announced that the team would be bringing in the future Hall of Famer. He is a big name, sure, but Melo has all the tools to give the Lakers what they need: bench scoring.
Anyone that is expecting a resurgence from Carmelo is in over their heads but it is safe to say that many fans are at least expecting a solid role player that can make the team better in 2021. While I agree with that sentiment, and really like the signing, we do have to acknowledge that disappointment could happen.
Carmelo surprised the NBA when he showed the willingness to take a smaller role with the Portland Trail Blazers and take a step back and help the team win. His previous two stints with the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder were extremely disappointing as he was still billed as this star option.
That is great news for the Lakers. However, he is likely going to be taking even lesser of a role in LA. He is going to be the fourth scoring option at best, perhaps even the fifth if Malik Monk is as good as I am predicting him to be.
If Carmelo is not pulling his weight in the scoring department, especially when it comes to shooting threes, then it is hard to justify him getting quality playoff minutes since his defense is so bad.
At this stage of his career, with the further step back he is going to have to take, disappointment certainly is possible.