Blazers Are Asking Too Much From Carmelo Anthony By Immediately Starting Him
The newest face of the Portland Trail Blazers didn't exactly have time to acclimate himself to the franchise.
Carmelo Anthony was thrust straight into a starting role Tuesday night as the Blazers lost to the New Orleans Pelicans, and he didn't look great in his return to NBA action.
First bucket as a Blazer! @CarmeloAnthony | #RipCity pic.twitter.com/qw60iBmsy3
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) November 20, 2019
The former Knicks All-Star looked like a shadow of his former self, as he recorded 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting. He also had five turnovers and five fouls in 24 minutes of action, logging a plus/minus of -20.
Anthony likely is not in shape yet, and placing him directly in the starting lineup (and giving him nearly starter-level minutes) was not prudent for the Blazers, both conceptually and practically.
Damian Lilliard was out, so perhaps that forced the hand of coach Terry Stotts, but regardless, the Blazers put too much of the load on Melo in his debut. Considering he hadn't played in more than a year, there's no way the Blazers should have allowed him to jack up 14 shots.
Carmelo Anthony's first game back: 4-of-14, five turnovers, five fouls, zero assists, -20 in 24 minutes.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) November 20, 2019
Over his last 500 NBA minutes (playoffs included), Melo's teams are -13 points per 48 minutes when he's on the floor.
Anthony has some serious balling out to do to prove that he still has it and this landing spot in Portland could prove to be ideal. He needs to warm up first, though, and the Blazers need to be patient with the 35-year-old.