Damian Lillard and Rodney Hood have seen narratives ruin a player's career before, and now-teammate Carmelo Anthony was almost a victim of that before landing with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Hood was in that same place not too long ago, fresh off a trade from Utah and struggling to get minutes due to his passive play and inconsistency. The lefty marksman just needed the right situation, which he got in Portland — now hoping Melo could follow that same fate.
“I feel like it’s been an unfair shake towards him,” Hood told Jason Quick of The Athletic. “Everybody knows how talented he is. But you know how it is in this league; once there is a narrative about a guy, it sticks with you and follows you. The fact that he got waived was crazy to me, and that nobody picked him up earlier than now is crazy as well. I’ve always advocated for his return.”
Lillard agreed, noting Melo didn't do anything to deserve being cast away from the league.
“It wasn’t like Melo did something crazy to get kicked out of the league,” Lillard said. “A player of his caliber, without a reputation for doing wild stuff, and there’s not a real reason for him not to get an opportunity? It was weird. And I think that’s why so many people are in support of him, because they respect him, they are a fan of him, and they know he can still play.”
Anthony scored 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting in his debut and showed some signs of rust against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. While he got off to a strong start, he quickly got into foul trouble in the second half and committed a series of turnovers — yet it's too soon to judge if he's apt to play the NBA just based off of 24 minutes of evidence after a year's absence from the hardwood.
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