While Taiwan is obviously the place to be at the moment with the arrival of Dwight Howard among the Taoyuan Leopards and the rumors surrounding DeMarcus Cousins, Carmelo Anthony is obviously not at all in the same delirium. Melo wants to play in the NBA again and nowhere else.
It’s November 28, 2022 and Carmelo Anthony still doesn’t have a team. After the Lakers fiasco last season, the ninth most prolific all-time scorer is effectively without a contract at the age of 38, which raises questions about the end of the man’s career. Retirement ? Signature abroad? Heading to Taiwan? Obviously none of these scenarios is currently considered by Melo if we are to believe Marc Stein.
According to the insider, Anthony is “determined” to find a spot in the NBA and participate in his 20th season in the Big League. This would allow him to enter the closed circle of players who have spent two decades on the US pro courts (there are only 16 at present), while scratching a few extra points to try to get Shaquille O’Neal at the eighth place among the greatest scorers in history (307 points behind). And in the best of scenarios, Melo could even give himself an opportunity to win a first title if an ambitious team but lacking in scoring from the bench decides to recruit him. With over 13 points on average in 26 minutes last season, 44.1% shooting including 37.5% from 3-pointers, Anthony has in any case proved that he always knew how to put the big orange ball in the basket, even at 38 brooms. Its big defensive limits nevertheless represent a red flag indisputable which necessarily plays against him.
Maybe as the season goes on, whether it’s because of injuries or because a team will need scoring and experience as the playoffs approach, a door will open for Anthony. . We hope so because it is difficult to say today that Melo potentially played his last NBA game…
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Source text: Marc Stein