On Thursday, it was announced that Carmelo Anthony had signed a contract to play with the Portland Trail Blazers.
It was a news flash that seemed to delight many fellow NBA players, as they had felt that Anthony still deserved to be on a roster.
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade instantly paid tribute to the 10-time NBA All-Star.
Although Anthony was one of the league’s great scorers back in the day, his skills have eroded greatly in recent years. While with the New York Knicks, he fell out of favor with then-team president Phil Jackson.
It got to the point that Jackson, a man not known for readily wearing his emotions on his sleeve, publicly suggested that Anthony would be better off somewhere else.
Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 15.9 points per game but shot a paltry 40.4 percent from the field during stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.
With the Trail Blazers, Anthony will likely continue to play something of a reduced role alongside Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
The team, expected to have at least a puncher’s chance of reaching the Western Conference Finals, is off to a very dismal 4-8 start.
If Anthony can reach into his star-studded past and supply the Blazers with some efficient offensive production, perhaps he’ll help them become contenders in the top-heavy west.