Carmelo Anthony's Trainer Says He's '100 Percent' NBA-Ready, Wants Farewell Year

Carmelo Anthony is aiming for one more NBA season to properly say goodbye.

During an interview on The Breakfast Club (warning: link contains profanity), Anthony's trainer, Chris Brickley, explained the 10-time All-Star wants to return to the league so he can enjoy a victory lap (via CBSSports.com's Jack Maloney).

When asked if Anthony was still a starting-caliber player, Brickley replied: 

"Yes, given the situation. Allen Iverson, if you remember. He kind of got, some people say, blackballed. He got into a situation in his career, where teams would be like, 'Oh, he's gonna want this role, so we're gonna stay away.' I think that's what's going on with Melo right now. He's easily better than 60 percent, 70 percent of NBA players walking around. It's just I think teams are afraid of, 'I want to be the star,' or 'I want this.' That's not the case, though. Melo just wants to have a final season, a farewell season, do what D-Wade did. Do the jersey swap. He had a great career, he's a Hall of Famer. So, hopefully that can happen."

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard supported the idea, although he downplayed the likelihood of a move to the Portland Trail Blazers:

Anthony lasted only 10 games with the Houston Rockets in 2018-19 before they removed him from the lineup to finalize his eventual departure.

In January, the Rockets traded Anthony to the Chicago Bulls, who waived him shortly thereafter. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in March that the Los Angeles Lakers had considered signing him before they started slipping out of playoff contention.

Chauncey Billups, who played a year-and-a-half with Anthony on the Denver Nuggets, speculated he went unsigned because he wasn't willing to accept a lesser role in a team's rotation:

There's a clear problem with Brickley's proposal. Dwyane Wade got a yearlong send-off from the Miami Heat because he's a franchise legend who helped the team win three NBA titles. Kobe Bryant is held in similar esteem by the Los Angeles Lakers, who allowed Bryant to have a retirement tour in 2015-16.

The Lakers won 17 games in Bryant's final year, while the Heat missed the playoffs by two games this past season. Those teams weren't contending for a title, so allowing Kobe and Wade to bow out with plenty of fanfare helped to enliven what would've otherwise been forgettable campaigns.

The Denver Nuggets have championship aspirations in 2019-20, which would seemingly rule out a reunion with Anthony. The New York Knicks are in rebuilding mode but didn't separate with Melo on the best of terms, which may jeopardize a return there as well.

The twilight of Anthony's career is a reminder that some marquee stars don't get to call it quits on their own terms.