The Portland Trail Blazers amended the contract of Carmelo Anthony on Thursday so it becomes fully guaranteed immediately.
Blazers head coach Terry Stotts says Anthony is “here to stay” and has shown that he's still an NBA-caliber player after being out of the league for more than a year.
Blazers coach Terry Stotts on Melo getting deal guaranteed for the rest of the year. "I think it sent a good message to him and the team and the rest of the league that he's here to stay. He's shown that he can really help us and there was no point waiting til January 9th."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) December 7, 2019
Anthony put up 22.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for Portland last week, winning the Western Conference Player of the Week Award.
Melo is averaging 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in nine games with the Blazers. The 10-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer is shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from the 3-point line and 86.2 percent from the charity stripe.
The Blazers, after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, are now 9-14 on the season. Portland is in the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings. After making it to the Conference Finals last season, the Blazers have taken a step back so far this season, but there's still plenty of time for the team to turn things around. We also have to remember that Portland is playing without center Jusuf Nurkic, who is recovering from a serious leg injury.
It's only been nine games, but the Blazers' offense is much better when Anthony is on the floor. Portland has an offensive rating of 116.9 when Melo is on the court. It drops to 108.7 when Carmelo is on the bench, per Basketball Reference.
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