2. Melo will lead a Trail Blazers resurgence
You have to admit that no matter who you support, it is kinda fun to see Carmelo Anthony grace a basketball court again.
A lot of people were concerned that it would just be another stopover for Melo in a long list of unsuccessful appearances, including a fairly long stint out of the NBA completely.
Portland needed help. Melo needed a home. It was like basketball’s version of Cupid had rained down on the two.
The Trailblazers have a host of very talented players in Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and latest addition Hassan Whiteside which made it extremely confusing when the Blazers fell to a 5-12 record to begin the 2019-20 season.
Enter Carmelo.
In his six-game stint so far with Portland, Melo is averaging over 17 points-per-game and doing so with a 46.2 percent conversion rate from the field, his highest percentage since his 2007-08 season. He is clearly the third scoring option behind Lillard and McCollum which means he won’t be putting up massive scoring numbers, but providing a reliable and consistent contribution on both ends of the floor is all he needs to do.
Portland is on a three-game winning streak currently and sitting at 8-12, they are still lurking just a game behind 8th spot in the Western Conference despite their slow start to the season. The ‘Blazers also ranked as the 5th hardest schedule through the first quarter of the season, not doing the struggling team any favors.
Eight games against .500-plus teams for just a single win does not bode well for any team, but particularly a team who appeared in the West Conference Finals last season and were predicted to be extremely competitive again.
The lowest point in the season possibly came in their match-up with Brooklyn where Portland had to endure a loss despite Lillard putting up a massive 60-point game. Talk about having sore shoulders from carrying the team, sheesh.
That is the best part of this only being the quarter mark of the NBA season, there are still three-quarters of the season left to right the wrongs of the first 20 games.
Melo has the potential to be the answer for Portland.
Over their next six games, the Blazers face three of the top teams around the NBA: Both the Los Angeles teams and the Nuggets. This is a great chance for Melo to impose himself and reintroduce himself as the old Carmelo Anthony.
Melo could very well be a big piece of the puzzle for Portland in their quest to get back to the Western Conference Finals and I know a lot of fans are quietly keen to see how it plays out.