Carmelo Anthony endured an odd chain of events in the past two years, first being traded to the Atlanta Hawks after an unsuccessful stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder and then being dealt to the Chicago Bulls after a 10-game cup of tea with the Houston Rockets.
Some wondered if the Bulls would make a roster spot to haul him in, but Anthony acknowledged “they didn't ask” him to play for them, according to Mike McGraw of The Daily Herald, once again leaving him in limbo until he was waived on Feb. 1.
Melo had his revenge on Monday, dropping a season-high 25 points in his fourth game with the Portland Trail Blazers, finally earning them a win after a four-game slide.
Vintage Melo was in full effect, taking the bulk of the shots (10-of-20 from the field) over Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum while collecting eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 31 minutes. Anthony is averaging 16.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game — the exact contributions the Blazers need him to have at this stretch of his career.
It's tough to know if Melo would have been able to do the same for the Bulls last season, but he was never given the opportunity after a failed stint with the Rockets put a blemish on his profile, making him look like damaged goods and an unnecessary PR nightmare for most teams. Instead, Chicago chose to haul him in and try to work out a suitable trade for his services, which wound up being all for naught.