Carmelo Anthony's one-plus year exile from the NBA ended in November when he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on a non-guaranteed deal.
Anthony turned heads right away with the Blazers and got his contract guaranteed by the team, a move which made everyone in NBA circles happy since he is one of the most popular players in the league.
Melo, who will be in the NBA Hall of Fame one day, spoke on CJ McCollum's latest podcast about signing with the Blazers and how Portland was the perfect place for him.
“I think the biggest part of it was I had to be right mentally, I had to be right emotionally and spiritually,” Carmelo Anthony said, via Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com. “What I always tell people now is Portland came at a pivotal time in my life and my career. I needed Portland at this point in time, what I was looking for as far as on the court and off the court. I needed it, I needed the serenity of being in Portland, I need the space, I needed this me time to figure out me at the end of the day and to get my mind right and to focus on my body and emotionally.
“I really needed Portland. As much as they needed me from a basketball standpoint, I needed Portland for other reasons. I always say ‘God don’t make no mistakes’ and this came at a pivotal time for me and I’m taking advantage of it. And as you can see, it shows, right? I’m not talking from a basketball standpoint, it’s just the happiness and just being here and just being around the guys and being able to love the game again and travel and talk and give my experience and give my knowledge to people. That’s what’s most important to me at this point.”
Anthony has appeared in 50 games for the Blazers in 2019-20. He is putting up 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 42.6 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from beyond the arc and 84.3 percent from the free-throw line.
The Blazers are 22-28 with Anthony in the lineup. If the season starts up again, Portland will be in the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings.
After making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season, the Blazers have been inconsistent in 2019-20.
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