Carmelo Anthony: 'Greatest Feeling of All' to Feel Wanted by Trail Blazers
Carmelo Anthony made his long-awaited return to an NBA court Tuesday night, and the emotional payoff was well worth the wait.
The new Portland Trail Blazers forward met with reporters following the team's 115-104 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. "The greatest feeling of all was to feel wanted by a group of guys who believe in me and my talent and what I can bring to the game," the 35-year-old told reporters. "It wasn't just the players. It was the coaching staff. They really showed a strong level of belief in me and what I can still do."
Anthony also discussed the ways he felt different on the court after last playing in an NBA game on Nov. 8, 2018:
The 10-time All-Star officially signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Blazers earlier Tuesday.
Anthony started his Portland debut and finished it with 10 points, four rebounds and a block across 24 minutes.
Anthony scored the team's first points of the evening on a 26-foot three:
The 2003 third overall pick was in the starting lineup as Blazers All-Star point guard Damian Lillard sat out because of back spasms. While the Ghost of Melo Past made an appearance, he mostly struggled and notched a game-worst minus-20 when on the floor while shooting 4-of-14 from the field (2-of-3 from three).
Rust was to be expected after over a year away from the league, but 5-10 Portland needs Anthony to snap back into form soon. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, team president of basketball operations Neil Olshey told Anthony, "You need us. And we need you."
More from Woj:
"Zach Collins, the starting power forward, is out until March because of shoulder surgery. Center Jusuf Nurkic is still rehabilitating a fractured leg. It remains unclear when Pau Gasol will make his debut. Fourth-quarter Trail Blazers leads have kept disappearing as teams blitz and trap Lillard and McCollum—and those two guards need someone they trust to deliver passes for big shots. The Blazers are No. 2 in volume of offensive isolation plays this season, and that fits Anthony's style."
"I think everyone had doubt, including himself, probably," Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James, one of Anthony's closest friends, said on Nov. 15, per USA Today's Mark Medina. "As the time goes on and on and on, you see yourself getting further and further away from it. But I always hoped that he would get an opportunity."
Anthony's road back to the NBA has been an unceremonious one for the league's 19th all-time leading scorer. He "parted ways" with the Houston Rockets on Nov. 15, 2018, after spending just 10 games with the team. The Rockets ultimately traded him to the Chicago Bulls in late January, but he did not play for the Bulls before they waived him on Feb. 1.
Anthony disclosed on his YouTube channel (h/t NBA.com) that, in the time between then and now while he remained unsigned, he "always kept my eye on Portland."
He continued: "It just didn't work out at other times. But now it seems like a perfect opportunity. I just look at that team and say, 'This is what I can bring, this is where I can help.' It can only work if all parties see it the same way."
Anthony's next chance to prove the Blazers right for believing in him will be Thursday night at the 10-3 Milwaukee Bucks.
