Farewell Carmelo
At one time Carmelo Anthony was considered one of the all-time greats of the NBA. Now, he has become the butt of memes jokes. How is that possible for a player with a basketball resume that surpasses most?
In Dwayne Wade’s final regular season game in 2019 against the Brooklyn Nets, Anthony was seen courtside alongside his longtime friends, Chris Paul and Lebron James, to watch Wade play one last time before retirement. Wade saved his last jersey swap for Anthony, which caused many to think will we ever get to see Anthony have his own farewell tour in the NBA.
To name a few of his accomplishments, Anthony is a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, NCAA national champion at Syracuse, and 10-time NBA All Star. He is a round one, pick three prospect in the famed 2003 NBA draft class, Anthony stepped into the league and proved that if nothing else, he was the man you want with the ball in the last five minutes.
It is no secret that Anthony’s career has been on a decline. Constantly criticized for being able to win where it counts everywhere else except the very league that he plays in. It just appears that his game was never able to adapt to the ever-changing ways of the NBA. A deadly scorer with a gifted offensive game, Anthony has never reached the NBA Finals.
A short stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, and even shorter stint with the Houston Rockets in 2018 never panned out. Once Carmelo’s jump shot stopped resulting in points, the other weaknesses in his game were put on blast. A lack of desire to play defense and choosing money over winning championship rings are just a few of the comments used to describe him over the years.
However, no matter our personal opinions of Anthony, how can one say he is not deserving of the same love Wade received this year? There will not be too many players like Carmelo ever again, and some say that he helped revolutionize the small forward position.
Before he entered the league in 2003, small forwards were primarily looked at as defenders, with the occasional 10 points a game as a plus. Anthony first years as a Denver Nugget proved to be a difficult opponent for all other forwards, due to his superior shooting ability, post-up game, and passion for rebounding.
Anthony has career averages of 24 points per game. Videos of him working out in the gym are teasing fans of a possible comeback, and basketball fans worldwide would be grateful to watch him have one last season. Hopefully then the league could send him off the right way and just appreciate his extraordinary talent.
