NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony ‘Better Than 60 Percent, 70 Percent’ Of Active Players, Says Trainer
Last summer, Carmelo Anthony signed a veteran minimum deal with the Houston Rockets with the belief that he could help James Harden and Chris Paul win the NBA championship. However, just a few games in the 2018-19 NBA season, the Rockets immediately realized that Anthony was an odd fit on their roster, which made them decide to send him to the Chicago Bulls, who immediately waived him. Since becoming an unrestricted free agent, the 10-time NBA All-Star has yet to find a new home and as of now, there’s a growing belief around the league that Melo might have already played his last game in the NBA.
However, while others think that it is time for Anthony to retire, there are still some people who believe that he deserves to play another season, including his trainer Chris Brickley. In a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club radio show (via YouTube), Brickley said that Anthony still has lots of gas left in his tank and is better than “60 percent, 70 percent” of active NBA players in the league.
Brickley informed NBA teams who are having second thoughts about signing Carmelo Anthony that the veteran small forward won’t be demanding a huge role and just wanted a farewell season like his close pal, Dwyane Wade.
“So, you know, Allen Iverson – do you remember… he kinda got like – some people say not necessarily blackballed,” Brickley said, as quoted by The Score. “But he got into a situation in the end of his career where teams would be like ‘Oh he’s gonna want this role so we’re gonna stay away.’ And I think that’s what’s going on with Melo right now. He’s easily better than 60 percent, 70 percent of NBA players walking around. It’s just I think teams are afraid of that ‘I wanna be a starter’ or ‘I want this,’ that’s not the case, though. Melo just wants to have a final season, have a farewell season.”
Carmelo Anthony will reportedly NOT receive an invite to join Team USA, per @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/2h3ooEqRlg
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) July 26, 2019
Anthony may not have won an NBA championship so far, but he definitely deserves a decent retirement like Wade. Since being drafted as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony turned himself into one of the best scorers in the NBA and there’s no doubt that he’s a future NBA Hall of Famer. However, as of now, it remains a big question mark if there’s a legitimate title contender in the league that is willing to host Melo’s farewell tour.
When the 2018-19 NBA season officially came to an end, the Los Angeles Lakers were emerging as the top favorite landing spot for Carmelo Anthony. However, after they failed to sign Kawhi Leonard, the Lakers snubbed Anthony and decided to use their salary cap space to sign Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Jared Dudley, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, and Troy Daniels. They also to bring back some of their own free agents like Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Alex Caruso.
