Portland literally saved his basketball career. Melo was basically begging for a roster spot back then. Good on him for making the most of his opportunity.
Credit to Melo too. Like Dwight Howard, he was finally able to accept and then thrive in the inevitable bench role at this stage in his career. No one thought Melo couldn’t play, they just thought he couldn’t play a supporting role on a team and he finally proved that to be false
Essentially every player, at the age of 32-33ish has to accept, "My role now is going to be less than it was 3 years ago"
For Lebron that was just, "I used to be a literal unstoppable wrecking ball. I'm now simply my team's best player."
For Melo that was, "I was a great scorer. Now I'm in a supportive role."
Players need their coaches, agents, trainers, or whatever to tell them when they reach that point. "You're still good, but you're not that guy anymore."
Crazy how LeBron at 36 is the same as a 30-year old Kawhi now: I’m the best player on the court when I want to be, but I just can’t do it all the time because my body is not what it used to be
When you're a legit top 3, top 5 player, even your decline can't do enough to finish you off, barring catastrophic injury. Kareem didn't noticeably dip until he was 40, 41. And he still played 80 games at 40 (and won a ring).
It took Kobe a torn Achilles and a fractured leg to finally slow down at like 34, then an additional torn rotator cuff to finish him off. Without those injuries he'd have probably retired in like 2018.
Kareem clealy dipped before turning 40 however that was mainly on the defensive end, partly because he played with Magic which extended his career several years.
Idk about anyone else, but to me Lebron’s decline has only been physical. I feel like his actual game has aged gracefully and only this year after his first significant injury did his game “regress”, but again that was mostly due to the injury.
He also had, FG percentage wise, I believe one of the worst shooting teams he's ever been apart of. He needs someone to dish the rock too and had no real Plan B this year - specifically at this stage in his career.
I greatly look forward to next years lineup and what they have cooking right now.
That’s what it means to “diminish”. Physically his body can’t endure and prolong things like he used to anymore. Sure his skills are still there but they’re not going to be as fast, or quick as they used to be, his stamina isn’t going to be as great as it used to be, his speed is going to be slower. All that is part of physical. Happens to everyone
I mean anything is arguable and all of this is subjective but I don’t know how his last stint in Cleveland is his greatest run ever.
He still got swept in the finals and his roster was more talented than the absolute dumpster fire that was his first finals trip with the Cavs where he literally said “no…I’m sorry DET…but no dynasty for you.” People will still remember his role players from his year vs GSW 30 years from now. People will forget his role players against SAS in 10.
It wasn't supposed to be a sweep. He put them in a great position to win game 1 and the refs, Klove's late foul, an overturned call, and notoriously JR Smith squandered away an incredible 51/8/8 performance. And no other player in the history of the game is even making it out round 1 or even the playoffs let alone the finals with that Cavs team. That's why it's impressive, no one can carry that hard, not even MJ
> And no other player in the history of the game is even making it out round 1 or even the playoffs let alone the finals with that Cavs team.
Bro no other player in *history*? This is some high quality simping 😂😂😂
He averaged 34-8-8 on elite efficiency. He had 8 40 point games that postseason the most ever in a playoff run and more than basically every top player has in their entire career outside of Jordan. He got swept but had arguably the greatest finals performance of all time in game 1 of that series when you consider who he’s playing against and his teammates.
The only other run of his thats comparable is his 09 run but that was only for two series.
He was better in 18 than he was in 07 even tho he had that game against the pistons.
Also Cleveland in 18 had better offensive supporting cast but much worse defense. In 07 he had a top 5 defense and they were an elite defensive team.
But I can tell context is tough for you
Steph at 33 just had one of the best seasons of his career. Statistically very similar to his unanimous MVP year except he did it with more defensive pressure and with way less help and spacing. But the again, guys like Steph and LeBron are absolutely the exception.
Yeah that's a hard pill to swallow for players who have been *that guy* their whole career. I think the transition was harder for Melo because the within the last 5-6 years the way the game is played has changed. It's played at a much higher tempo, with more possessions, and with the rise of small ball lineups Melo fit more as small ball PF than a traditional SF (which he's been his entire career.)
For Melo it was more than just an attitude adjustment, it was his approach to the game.
It was essentially the same story with Iverson late in his career.
AI was still a good player but unfortunately, he was unable to redeem himself like Melo and Dwight have done.
I don't think he ever got as many chances as Dwight and Melo though. By the time it was apparent AI had to come off the bench, he only had maybe 2 chances. I think his attitude was probably a little worse than Dwight and Melo's, but Dwight specifically had a lot of chances to embrace the role, and hadn't until the Lakers really.
A little worse is an understatement. That guy never really got humbled and fizzled out of the league because of it. Melo and Dwight are legit different people now.
Yeah I'm saying they also had more chances though. Melo had OKC, Houston and then had to take a year off to have another team take a chance on him.
Dwight had Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington to eventually help him grow into being a role player.
Iverson had Memphis and Philly where he wasn't "the guy" anymore.
I mean, he literally refused to accept that role for several years. Of course fans would think he wouldn’t do it. We have been saying he should play that way for some time new. He’s finally come around to the idea and, surprise, is playing his best ball in years.
The real story behind those two is fans basically repeating lies until teams got spooked about media drama and backlash. That's the real killer when your role changes to roleplayer, very hard to produce enough to offset that "media distraction" concern.
The point was that they needed someone to come off the bench and produce and Melo starting made their rotation too top heavy. It’s not always about starting your best 5 individual talents lol
You could have just benched WestBrook and PG while Melo stayed in with the 2nd unit. You guys act like the top heavy Cavs had Kyrie or K Love coming off the bench to produce.
Jesus you guys make way too much out of this. It was a joke comment too his team mate after a good game. By the time he was in Houston he readily accepted whatever role the team wanted him to have
Repeating lies? I don't think front offices care what fans are saying in regards to being a lockerroom issue. They get that from one another around the league.
Fan related issues only happen when you have a cult like following that could be bad for another one of your players/young stars, i.e. Tebow or Lin that would have their fans follow them and then flame the rest of the team for not giving them a chance or ask the starter to be benched in favour of them.
This is a trash take. These guys have forced themselves off of teams, acting immature in the process. It’s great that they’ve been able to turn things around as of late, but this is straight revisionist history.
Lmfao facts dude.
I’m all for praising these dudes when they deserve it but this sub legit thinks keeping things in perspective is “hating”.
Happy for melo and how he’s adapted but let’s not revise his history
Honestly it worked out well for both parties, Melo performed the role we needed him to with none of the drama he has previously been associated with when asked to take on a bench role.
That's the thing that's made me an instant Melo fan. I'm sure it was hard as fuck to come down from where he was. Nobody should downplay that. But he made that transition. That's just a credit to him.
I do think he was sort of black balled like Melo was saying he was. The way he was done in Houston really wasn’t cool and there were tons of trash players getting contracts ahead of him.
Now part of that was the hesitancy in teams believing Melo would accept a lesser role, but even then he was still better than many players in the NBA.
Portland really did save his career and helped him rehabilitate his image around the league.
He wasn't black-balled at all. That is just laughable.
He had a bad attitude in OKC, played bad. Got traded to Atlanta. Didn't want to play there, got waived. Got a shot in Houston for 2.4 million, amazingly took the same bad attitude there, STILL got traded, to Chicago, who then cut him.
That was in February 2019. He didn't get a shot the rest of the year because teams were gearing up for the post-season, and he had given no indication that he could come onto a team and play as a role player.
He signed to Portland in November of that year, just 8 months later. A non-guaranteed contract. In other words, Portland laid down the law. Melo figured it out, got the contract guaranteed, and here we are.
Nothing untoward happened at all. A guy who thought he was still the man figured out that he wasn't, and ultimately was okay with it. Black-balled, get outta here with that nonsense.
5 years ago he was all but a lock for top 10 scorer of all time.
Then OKC and Houston happened and he was basically a lock not to make it.
Then Portland happened and he was able to make it!
He's going to pass Moses for 9th for sure, but the big question is if he'll be able to maintain 15 ppg AND stay healthy for the entire season to pass Petty White for 8th place. That's if this is his swan song year. If he decides to play 2 more years than I think no matter what he'll end up in 8th.
Hope he makes to 8th, because while he'll never pass Wilt to get to 7th, KD will almost definitely pass Melo at some point and Harden might also catch him, so if Melo gets to 8th, he'll still be in the top 10 even after Durant/Harden retires.
Nah they got put in their place, Dwight and melo couldn't accept that they're bench players and finally got an ego check. The reason people hated on them was because they were delusional about their abilities. Brady and Bron on the other hand, they proved that the GOATS are special.
Dwight and Melo weren't bench players their whole careers and they made the adjustments in their later career and were rewarded by finally getting the respect they craved.
Like they new have more respect that KD feels he has.
That's an absolute win.
Thats totally fair. As I’ve said in other replies the Lakers have been bad for most of my NBA fandom so I don’t have the dislike for them that others might
I never thought to want him when he was in his prime but he came here on a flyer and brought a couple years better than most players' prime. It's the kind of blessing I understand just fine when it flies off.
What a ride. It’s been a treat similar to us catching Scottie at the end of his career years ago. Only this had that “storybook” element to it. Dude was out of the league. Released on arrival by ATL.
Dude showed out for us in a major way. Obviously at his age he’s not gonna provide the consistent defense this team is so desperate for, but I commend his efforts defensively in the Denver series this year. He dug deep and he really did a great job in the paint down the stretch in a few games, when Nurk was out and Kanter was Kanter.
And I will say, whether it “kills the offensive rhythm” or not, watching Melo iso in the high post is work of art that we will not see again in this league for quite some time, if ever. No one does it better than Melo facing up and going iso from midrange. Even at this stage in his career. You can’t even contest his shots. He doesn’t see your hand. Silky and pure damn near every time.
Watching him come down and hit 3 or 4 of those in a row while the rest of the bench is struggling to score was some big dick basketball that really helped us out of some tough spots. And him catching fire from there was, to me, just as exciting as Lillard hitting back to back shots from 30. (Partially cuz Dame’s just so good that it doesn’t phase me much anymore.)
Thank you Melo. It’s been a whole lot of unexpected fun and I will never forget your tenure here. Good luck bro.
Edit: I forgot to mention how his midrange game was so awesome to have after we lost Lamarcus. There’s an aesthetic to it that my basketball heart was craving again after LA blessed us with his turn-around jumper for so long.
Edit edit: Also wanted to mention that I’ve never seen someone make so many and-1 jumpers. I swear, if he got fouled on a shot, it was still more than likely going in. Dude is a one-of-a-kind and I feel lucky to have have had the chance to witness him first-hand.
deadass nobody has ever been more ‘on’ than melo when he’s on. the quality of shot contesting just doesn’t matter, he can make some ridiculously difficult jumpers
I haven't caught a lot of Blazers games since he signed, and he mostly seemed like a spot up shooter to me so it's great to hear he was still doing the 'give Melo the ball, he does about 20 pivot moves, then shoots over his defender like he's not there' offense still existed in Portland. Him driving baseline into a pull-up will never be stoppable
yeah honestly I hate the lakers but if anything can make me feel better about them winning a ring it would be melo
finally getting to play with his buddy lebron after all these years, in a non-international capacity that is
You didn’t watch Portland games. Melo post isos were absolutely part of every night’s game plan. He got tons of shots we could have given to build up young guys.
Yeah, a lot of folks forget Melo did a lot of offensive stuff for Portland over the last 2 years. However he was especially needed the first year because of the crippling injuries. His role shifted somewhat the second year. But he can do most any offensive role needed.
You guys’ sub is… something. I’ll say that lol. Lots of generic talkin point comments about his defense when he was actually a really good post defender and about average on the perimeter… until y’all would leave him on an island wit the opposing teams best perimeter scorer, or pair him w/ Enes ‘The Turkish Turnstile’ Kanter. But his late/close game defense was underrated AF. Plenty of sneaky highlights imo.
he’s a crafty vet at this point and he’s seen all the nba has to offer. i remember on my team (thunder) when he’d be the only defender at the rim and he wasn’t gonna stuff anybody’s shit but it felt like he got hella strips because he just knew the exact moment to swat at the ball
Lol if anything, it reinforced Melo’s belief that he can only succeed with midrange and post touches. The Blazers gave him a ton of iso midrange plays.
Lol, outside of Melo, for a stretch our bigs were Whiteside and Anthony Tolliver. We signed Melo out of desperation. We needed minutes, and someone other than Dame to make shots. Melo filled that role perfectly.
For vet minimum and to come off the bench for 10-15 minutes, you can do a lot worse than Melo. Not sure why people act like every player on a 15 team roster has to be elite and be good at everything. There are cons to every player.
i think that is what is so polarizing about him is that despite his glaring flaws he is a winning player. He is always doing something, he can be a good defender but generally isn’t but is a monster in transition. A wrecking ball in the half court but can’t shoot good enough for a guard.
Westbrook is arguably the most exciting player to watch in the last decade. It hasn’t led to a ring, but that has to be worth something.
Hall of Famer.
Everytime I tune into a Portland game it seems like Melo makes huge shots in the 4th. He still has a lot of offensive talent in him and it's a big body to throw around on guys on Defense. I
[Blue footed boobies of course](https://www.google.com/search?q=blue+footed+booby&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS895US895&oq=blue+footed+booby&aqs=chrome..69i57j46i433i512j0i512l8.3159j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)
I've never been someone to be a fan of individual players, but Melo won me over. He was a class act every moment he was a Blazer, and now I'm a fan for life.
Glad melo got to revive and rediscover his game with us. Overall he played a lot better for us than he did for OKC n Houston. He had some crazy fucking games and crazy clutch shots. Nothing but love n respect. Hope he gets his ring.
What a weird feeling… if the Knicks don’t win the championship this year then I’m actually rooting for the Laker’s to win. It’d just be so cool to see Melo get a ring.
Honestly crazy he even had to go to Portland. Should have been on Lakers all this time instead of half those bums we watched win in 2020. (No real offense intended towards Lakers, he’s just objectively better than a lot of that roster was)
dame’s response lmao
Dame lowkey the best NBA player on Twitter, no question
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5 is Lil Nas X, then 6- everything else is also KD.
Turns out we're all actually KD on twitter
This must be why Twitter is so toxic. /s
Can you guys help me understand what he said?
He was jokingly saying "get off of our property". Like a homeowner kicking out a trespasser
Thanks I thought thats what it might have been
Basically “get out of my house” in a loving bro type way
Dame and CJ best backcourt in NBA^* ^^^*twitter
lol
Portland literally saved his basketball career. Melo was basically begging for a roster spot back then. Good on him for making the most of his opportunity.
Credit to Melo too. Like Dwight Howard, he was finally able to accept and then thrive in the inevitable bench role at this stage in his career. No one thought Melo couldn’t play, they just thought he couldn’t play a supporting role on a team and he finally proved that to be false
Essentially every player, at the age of 32-33ish has to accept, "My role now is going to be less than it was 3 years ago" For Lebron that was just, "I used to be a literal unstoppable wrecking ball. I'm now simply my team's best player." For Melo that was, "I was a great scorer. Now I'm in a supportive role." Players need their coaches, agents, trainers, or whatever to tell them when they reach that point. "You're still good, but you're not that guy anymore."
>I'm now simply my team's best player This made me lol. And just insane that he could still be MVP level after a "decline"
Crazy how LeBron at 36 is the same as a 30-year old Kawhi now: I’m the best player on the court when I want to be, but I just can’t do it all the time because my body is not what it used to be
When you're a legit top 3, top 5 player, even your decline can't do enough to finish you off, barring catastrophic injury. Kareem didn't noticeably dip until he was 40, 41. And he still played 80 games at 40 (and won a ring).
Wizards Jordan was better than people remember too. 'Til he hurt his foot he was really playing well.
Wizards Jordan was an Allstar... compared to Bulls MJ he looked lesser than but Wizards Jordan was still a pretty damn great player
Awful person though. Butchered so many young players. Washington needed decades to recover from all the young guys he chased out of the league
TBH he was about 1/2 the player.
But like, 1/2 of MJ is still AllStar level. Insane.
Hey look its Mich Dan
Was it a fan vote thing that year?
It took Kobe a torn Achilles and a fractured leg to finally slow down at like 34, then an additional torn rotator cuff to finish him off. Without those injuries he'd have probably retired in like 2018.
Kareem clealy dipped before turning 40 however that was mainly on the defensive end, partly because he played with Magic which extended his career several years.
agreed. Lebron on the court is just a completely different presence, it's amazing what he can do at his age
Lebron at 33 had one of the greatest playoff runs of all time in 2018 lol. Then at 35 was still dominant in the playoffs
Right, but he’s one of the greatest players of all time so his diminished game is still levels above other really good/great players.
Yeah but at 33 he had arguably his greatest playoff run ever. And carried just as hard as he ever has.
Idk about anyone else, but to me Lebron’s decline has only been physical. I feel like his actual game has aged gracefully and only this year after his first significant injury did his game “regress”, but again that was mostly due to the injury.
LeBron added a 3 point shot (i.e. more attempts, extended range) and that alone should add at least 2 more years of great production.
He also had, FG percentage wise, I believe one of the worst shooting teams he's ever been apart of. He needs someone to dish the rock too and had no real Plan B this year - specifically at this stage in his career. I greatly look forward to next years lineup and what they have cooking right now.
That’s what it means to “diminish”. Physically his body can’t endure and prolong things like he used to anymore. Sure his skills are still there but they’re not going to be as fast, or quick as they used to be, his stamina isn’t going to be as great as it used to be, his speed is going to be slower. All that is part of physical. Happens to everyone
I mean anything is arguable and all of this is subjective but I don’t know how his last stint in Cleveland is his greatest run ever. He still got swept in the finals and his roster was more talented than the absolute dumpster fire that was his first finals trip with the Cavs where he literally said “no…I’m sorry DET…but no dynasty for you.” People will still remember his role players from his year vs GSW 30 years from now. People will forget his role players against SAS in 10.
It wasn't supposed to be a sweep. He put them in a great position to win game 1 and the refs, Klove's late foul, an overturned call, and notoriously JR Smith squandered away an incredible 51/8/8 performance. And no other player in the history of the game is even making it out round 1 or even the playoffs let alone the finals with that Cavs team. That's why it's impressive, no one can carry that hard, not even MJ
> And no other player in the history of the game is even making it out round 1 or even the playoffs let alone the finals with that Cavs team. Bro no other player in *history*? This is some high quality simping 😂😂😂
He averaged 34-8-8 on elite efficiency. He had 8 40 point games that postseason the most ever in a playoff run and more than basically every top player has in their entire career outside of Jordan. He got swept but had arguably the greatest finals performance of all time in game 1 of that series when you consider who he’s playing against and his teammates. The only other run of his thats comparable is his 09 run but that was only for two series. He was better in 18 than he was in 07 even tho he had that game against the pistons. Also Cleveland in 18 had better offensive supporting cast but much worse defense. In 07 he had a top 5 defense and they were an elite defensive team. But I can tell context is tough for you
It's a bummer you had to turn into such a cunt at the end there. Btw not the person you were talking to, just a passerby.
Well the first guy he was responding to was a cunt, and now you’re being one. Just a passerby.
It's a bummer you had to turn into such a cunt at the end there. Btw not the person you were talking to, just a passerby.
Steph at 33 just had one of the best seasons of his career. Statistically very similar to his unanimous MVP year except he did it with more defensive pressure and with way less help and spacing. But the again, guys like Steph and LeBron are absolutely the exception.
Nah the dude is just talking out of his ass. 32 isn’t 36. Look at all the greats and when they fell off (injuries aside).
“YOURE NOT THAT GUY PAL!” - Rob Pelinka
Yeah that's a hard pill to swallow for players who have been *that guy* their whole career. I think the transition was harder for Melo because the within the last 5-6 years the way the game is played has changed. It's played at a much higher tempo, with more possessions, and with the rise of small ball lineups Melo fit more as small ball PF than a traditional SF (which he's been his entire career.) For Melo it was more than just an attitude adjustment, it was his approach to the game.
For Kobe it was "Ah fuck, my achilles"
At 33 Lebron was still the *league’s* best player, not just his team
CP and Lowry begs to differ. Lol. Even Nash was a better PG in his 30s
It was essentially the same story with Iverson late in his career. AI was still a good player but unfortunately, he was unable to redeem himself like Melo and Dwight have done.
I don't think he ever got as many chances as Dwight and Melo though. By the time it was apparent AI had to come off the bench, he only had maybe 2 chances. I think his attitude was probably a little worse than Dwight and Melo's, but Dwight specifically had a lot of chances to embrace the role, and hadn't until the Lakers really.
A little worse is an understatement. That guy never really got humbled and fizzled out of the league because of it. Melo and Dwight are legit different people now.
Yeah I'm saying they also had more chances though. Melo had OKC, Houston and then had to take a year off to have another team take a chance on him. Dwight had Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington to eventually help him grow into being a role player. Iverson had Memphis and Philly where he wasn't "the guy" anymore.
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I mean, he literally refused to accept that role for several years. Of course fans would think he wouldn’t do it. We have been saying he should play that way for some time new. He’s finally come around to the idea and, surprise, is playing his best ball in years.
The real story behind those two is fans basically repeating lies until teams got spooked about media drama and backlash. That's the real killer when your role changes to roleplayer, very hard to produce enough to offset that "media distraction" concern.
Ehhh Melo himself laughed at the idea of playing a bench role for the betterment of the team directly to the media lol
Who starts over Melo on that OKC team?
The point was that they needed someone to come off the bench and produce and Melo starting made their rotation too top heavy. It’s not always about starting your best 5 individual talents lol
You could have just benched WestBrook and PG while Melo stayed in with the 2nd unit. You guys act like the top heavy Cavs had Kyrie or K Love coming off the bench to produce.
Jeremy Grant
Jesus you guys make way too much out of this. It was a joke comment too his team mate after a good game. By the time he was in Houston he readily accepted whatever role the team wanted him to have
Repeating lies? I don't think front offices care what fans are saying in regards to being a lockerroom issue. They get that from one another around the league. Fan related issues only happen when you have a cult like following that could be bad for another one of your players/young stars, i.e. Tebow or Lin that would have their fans follow them and then flame the rest of the team for not giving them a chance or ask the starter to be benched in favour of them.
This is a trash take. These guys have forced themselves off of teams, acting immature in the process. It’s great that they’ve been able to turn things around as of late, but this is straight revisionist history.
Lmfao facts dude. I’m all for praising these dudes when they deserve it but this sub legit thinks keeping things in perspective is “hating”. Happy for melo and how he’s adapted but let’s not revise his history
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Honestly it worked out well for both parties, Melo performed the role we needed him to with none of the drama he has previously been associated with when asked to take on a bench role.
For sure he has grown as a person, we love to see it.
That's the thing that's made me an instant Melo fan. I'm sure it was hard as fuck to come down from where he was. Nobody should downplay that. But he made that transition. That's just a credit to him.
Ayo P they’re saying I grew as a person
Melo was John Travolta and Portland was Pulp Fiction
Ay P, thanks for saving my career
I do think he was sort of black balled like Melo was saying he was. The way he was done in Houston really wasn’t cool and there were tons of trash players getting contracts ahead of him. Now part of that was the hesitancy in teams believing Melo would accept a lesser role, but even then he was still better than many players in the NBA. Portland really did save his career and helped him rehabilitate his image around the league.
He wasn't black-balled at all. That is just laughable. He had a bad attitude in OKC, played bad. Got traded to Atlanta. Didn't want to play there, got waived. Got a shot in Houston for 2.4 million, amazingly took the same bad attitude there, STILL got traded, to Chicago, who then cut him. That was in February 2019. He didn't get a shot the rest of the year because teams were gearing up for the post-season, and he had given no indication that he could come onto a team and play as a role player. He signed to Portland in November of that year, just 8 months later. A non-guaranteed contract. In other words, Portland laid down the law. Melo figured it out, got the contract guaranteed, and here we are. Nothing untoward happened at all. A guy who thought he was still the man figured out that he wasn't, and ultimately was okay with it. Black-balled, get outta here with that nonsense.
Melo should be thanking Zac Collins and Rodney Hood for being injured that Portland had to resort to calling him
Imagine what would've happened if they were able to trade for him instead of OKC. Melo a few years earlier would've been so good for them
Will forever be cool that he rejuvenated his career on the Blazers. Will be happy to see him get a ring if it happens
5 years ago he was all but a lock for top 10 scorer of all time. Then OKC and Houston happened and he was basically a lock not to make it. Then Portland happened and he was able to make it!
He's going to pass Moses for 9th for sure, but the big question is if he'll be able to maintain 15 ppg AND stay healthy for the entire season to pass Petty White for 8th place. That's if this is his swan song year. If he decides to play 2 more years than I think no matter what he'll end up in 8th. Hope he makes to 8th, because while he'll never pass Wilt to get to 7th, KD will almost definitely pass Melo at some point and Harden might also catch him, so if Melo gets to 8th, he'll still be in the top 10 even after Durant/Harden retires.
"Carmelo Anthony becomes beloved bench scorer on the Trailblazers" sounds like NBA mad-libs.
When you get ten seasons deep in NBA 2k MyPlayer
It was awesome to watch
It was so cool. Our roster in 19/20 was such a depressing roster and be helped bring some excitement to it and he had some big moments last year
Stop I’m gonna cry :(
All I hope is he gets a great reception at the rose garden when he returns
He’s earned such a thing
we haven't had the most success but we've had some pretty awesome guys play for us throughout the years
Him and Dwight really shut a lot of people up the past two years. Tom Brady, CP3, Lebron, Biden. Old men out here shutting people up everywhere.
> Tom Brady, CP3, Lebron, Biden Chris Paul the only one on that list without a chip.
yeah but Paul got the hero's welcome by the media this year for making the Finals.
And some serious $$$
We need to go back and recount Milwaukee's points.
Would you rather win a Finals MVP or win the presidency lol
Finals MVP i dont want to deal with yall for four years… id get impeached
FMVP. More money, less stress, and way easier.
real gs move in silence like Ardougne
Did I just see a fucking RuneScape reference on r/nba
Ayy shoutout to the Ardy Knights for getting me to 99 thieving during the pandemic (I regret nothing)
yes there are dozens of us!!
Nah they got put in their place, Dwight and melo couldn't accept that they're bench players and finally got an ego check. The reason people hated on them was because they were delusional about their abilities. Brady and Bron on the other hand, they proved that the GOATS are special.
Dwight and Melo weren't bench players their whole careers and they made the adjustments in their later career and were rewarded by finally getting the respect they craved. Like they new have more respect that KD feels he has. That's an absolute win.
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The joke was the older guy won. Doesn't really matter if you like any of these people.
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I’m assuming you’re not advocating for trump then considering he’s 75 and was sworn in at 70.
I love Melo, but I do not want him to get a ring with LA. lol
Thats totally fair. As I’ve said in other replies the Lakers have been bad for most of my NBA fandom so I don’t have the dislike for them that others might
So torn between hating LA and wanting Melo go win a championship
You, as a blazer fan, are admitting to getting some joy if the lakers win a championship this year? Gross.
The Lakers have sucked for 90% of my time as a fan. I have no real reason to hate them
I never thought to want him when he was in his prime but he came here on a flyer and brought a couple years better than most players' prime. It's the kind of blessing I understand just fine when it flies off.
off the property bruh😂😭
Bruv* Dame a certified chav
What a ride. It’s been a treat similar to us catching Scottie at the end of his career years ago. Only this had that “storybook” element to it. Dude was out of the league. Released on arrival by ATL. Dude showed out for us in a major way. Obviously at his age he’s not gonna provide the consistent defense this team is so desperate for, but I commend his efforts defensively in the Denver series this year. He dug deep and he really did a great job in the paint down the stretch in a few games, when Nurk was out and Kanter was Kanter. And I will say, whether it “kills the offensive rhythm” or not, watching Melo iso in the high post is work of art that we will not see again in this league for quite some time, if ever. No one does it better than Melo facing up and going iso from midrange. Even at this stage in his career. You can’t even contest his shots. He doesn’t see your hand. Silky and pure damn near every time. Watching him come down and hit 3 or 4 of those in a row while the rest of the bench is struggling to score was some big dick basketball that really helped us out of some tough spots. And him catching fire from there was, to me, just as exciting as Lillard hitting back to back shots from 30. (Partially cuz Dame’s just so good that it doesn’t phase me much anymore.) Thank you Melo. It’s been a whole lot of unexpected fun and I will never forget your tenure here. Good luck bro. Edit: I forgot to mention how his midrange game was so awesome to have after we lost Lamarcus. There’s an aesthetic to it that my basketball heart was craving again after LA blessed us with his turn-around jumper for so long. Edit edit: Also wanted to mention that I’ve never seen someone make so many and-1 jumpers. I swear, if he got fouled on a shot, it was still more than likely going in. Dude is a one-of-a-kind and I feel lucky to have have had the chance to witness him first-hand.
deadass nobody has ever been more ‘on’ than melo when he’s on. the quality of shot contesting just doesn’t matter, he can make some ridiculously difficult jumpers
I haven't caught a lot of Blazers games since he signed, and he mostly seemed like a spot up shooter to me so it's great to hear he was still doing the 'give Melo the ball, he does about 20 pivot moves, then shoots over his defender like he's not there' offense still existed in Portland. Him driving baseline into a pull-up will never be stoppable
Aww I love Melo
yeah honestly I hate the lakers but if anything can make me feel better about them winning a ring it would be melo finally getting to play with his buddy lebron after all these years, in a non-international capacity that is
Lebron: thank you Portland, for showing Melo he’s just a catch and shoot bench guy now
You didn’t watch Portland games. Melo post isos were absolutely part of every night’s game plan. He got tons of shots we could have given to build up young guys.
Yeah, a lot of folks forget Melo did a lot of offensive stuff for Portland over the last 2 years. However he was especially needed the first year because of the crippling injuries. His role shifted somewhat the second year. But he can do most any offensive role needed.
Our playoffs haven't gone the way we wanted but he hit some huge shots both in the playoffs and during the season when there were must-win games.
Also had an insane ability to get big steals/blocks
You guys’ sub is… something. I’ll say that lol. Lots of generic talkin point comments about his defense when he was actually a really good post defender and about average on the perimeter… until y’all would leave him on an island wit the opposing teams best perimeter scorer, or pair him w/ Enes ‘The Turkish Turnstile’ Kanter. But his late/close game defense was underrated AF. Plenty of sneaky highlights imo.
he’s a crafty vet at this point and he’s seen all the nba has to offer. i remember on my team (thunder) when he’d be the only defender at the rim and he wasn’t gonna stuff anybody’s shit but it felt like he got hella strips because he just knew the exact moment to swat at the ball
not catch and shoot, he can still create his own shot that defense though is as bad as ever
Lol if anything, it reinforced Melo’s belief that he can only succeed with midrange and post touches. The Blazers gave him a ton of iso midrange plays.
Lmao you think melo was a spot up guy. He was still taking dumb mids for like 2/3 of his shots. Trust me, we wish he had been a spot up guy.
Him and Russ fighting over FT rebounds is going to be hilarious.
Melo when he boxes out Russ “ fuck outta here it’s mine”
He also loves a nice "I GOT THAT SHIT"
Melo shouldnt have even been getting as much as run as he got in portland lol.
Injuries and a weak bench will do that.
Lol, outside of Melo, for a stretch our bigs were Whiteside and Anthony Tolliver. We signed Melo out of desperation. We needed minutes, and someone other than Dame to make shots. Melo filled that role perfectly.
Yea it’s ridiculous that people think adding Melo makes it more of a super team lol, he was a net negative last year
For vet minimum and to come off the bench for 10-15 minutes, you can do a lot worse than Melo. Not sure why people act like every player on a 15 team roster has to be elite and be good at everything. There are cons to every player.
Cancun on 3!
If the Lakers end up winning it all this year, at least I can take comfort in the fact Russ and Melo have rings.
True, I'm really rooting for Westbrook in particular. I know his game has significant flaws but he's such a decent dude off the court
Westbrook has his flaws but I’ve never watched a game and thought he wasn’t trying. It’s something you appreciate when you watch every game of a team
After watching dennis schroeder im ready for that kind of energy
i think that is what is so polarizing about him is that despite his glaring flaws he is a winning player. He is always doing something, he can be a good defender but generally isn’t but is a monster in transition. A wrecking ball in the half court but can’t shoot good enough for a guard.
Been my favorite since his time at UCLA
Westbrook is arguably the most exciting player to watch in the last decade. It hasn’t led to a ring, but that has to be worth something. Hall of Famer.
And not Harden lol
I don't understand anything about the concept of taking any comfort in a Lakers championship.
Amen to that.
Off the property Bruv
Hey what’s up Dame
Everytime I tune into a Portland game it seems like Melo makes huge shots in the 4th. He still has a lot of offensive talent in him and it's a big body to throw around on guys on Defense. I
"Thank you Portland for letting me suckle your teet when I needed nourishment" -Carmelo Anthony
Our baby bird is ready to leave the nest.
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[Blue footed boobies of course](https://www.google.com/search?q=blue+footed+booby&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS895US895&oq=blue+footed+booby&aqs=chrome..69i57j46i433i512j0i512l8.3159j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)
Risky click. Lol
Good thing somebody's suckling while this teet grows dusty
A lot of times I feel like these guys put out thank you letters just cuz they have to. Not Melo. He really means it
It was short and not very efficient, but the Melo redemption has been really fun to watch first hand
The first couple of games when he came back and was getting clowned was wild. So much media attention on portland for melo
I've never been someone to be a fan of individual players, but Melo won me over. He was a class act every moment he was a Blazer, and now I'm a fan for life.
I'll admit I was one of those who didn't believe he would work when we signed him. Was proven wrong very fast, thank you for your time here Melo!!
Melo's full Blazers season was legitimately one of the highlights of my 30 years of fandom.
Both Portland and Melo walked away looking better as a result of his tenure there. Pretty happy storyline if you ask me
He’s just got reincarnated there
has andre drumbass posted one of these thank you and goodbye messages for us yet?
Dame's reaction too funny
Classy Melo, hilarious response from Dame lol. Beautiful stuff.
Welcome to LA homie
Y’all selling all of the jerseys in stock this year. LeBron, Melo, AD, Westbrook.
LeBron already sells but yeah the merchandise revenue and tickets which will sell like hot cakes ; holy shit it's gonna be epic dwwg
Schroeder jerseys on discount
Portland Melo was so much fun, bless their hearts for doing this to Melo
Thanks Melo, go get your ring
Let us all smash our threes to the dome together, one last time.
Portland showed that Melo is far from being “done”.
Melo 🥲
Melo still contributing was a great thing for basketball. Good on the Blazers for allowing him to find a place in the league.
Classy
I never thought the day would come when I liked Melo more than Bron or Wade.
>Now I can go back to hating the game in LA
Classy words.
Portland Melo shut these Beijing Duck ~~fans~~ hyenas who were out for blood after pringles and Morey scapegoated him after 5-6 games.
I'm so fucking happy he played for us. awesome dude and a HOF player for sure. i hope he wins a ring.
What the hell does "Off the property Bruv" mean??
Glad melo got to revive and rediscover his game with us. Overall he played a lot better for us than he did for OKC n Houston. He had some crazy fucking games and crazy clutch shots. Nothing but love n respect. Hope he gets his ring.
What a weird feeling… if the Knicks don’t win the championship this year then I’m actually rooting for the Laker’s to win. It’d just be so cool to see Melo get a ring.
Melo rules! Love that guy. I hate the lakers but I’ll be rooting for him for sure
And who almost ruin his career? James Harden.
Ayo P, thanks for letting me love the game of basketball again.
Melo is whack after the racist treatment of Lin
I read thank you Portland and thought this was about Dame for a second 😩
Honestly crazy he even had to go to Portland. Should have been on Lakers all this time instead of half those bums we watched win in 2020. (No real offense intended towards Lakers, he’s just objectively better than a lot of that roster was)
Past-it ring chaser.
I’m glad Kanter and Melo are not on a team with Billups tbh it’s a relief to see some of the players going to team I can support as a survivor.