Carmelo Anthony is one of the best scorers in the history of the NBA and up until last season, he was being disrespected by the media, as many felt as though his career was over. Prior to signing with the Portland Trail Blazers, it felt as though there were no teams willing to sign him although, in the end, he got his contract and proved to be a huge contributor on a Portland team that excelled down the stretch and managed to make the playoffs.
Heading into this season, Melo will have to prove himself as a bench player, as head coach Terry Stotts made some big changes to his lineup. While Melo has had issues with coming off the bench in the past, the 36-year-old veteran is now warming up to the idea, as he explained to the media after the team's first preseason game on Friday night.
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“I went out there approaching the game the same way”, Carmelo explained. “It’s basketball skill reasons coming off the bench, It’s what’s best for the actual team in this environment. It was a different emotion, a different feeling, but once you get past that, it’s basketball.”
The Blazers are in a position to be dark horses in the Western Conference this season and if Melo can keep up his production, then they will certainly be en-route to a playoff appearance.
[Via]