The Portland Trail Blazers turned heads last week when they opted to bring in Carmelo Anthony. Portland was starved for help at forward due to offseason losses and injuries, and after surveying the free agent landscape, the team came to the decision that the best option for their myriad of issues was the future Hall of Fame inductee.
It’s hardly the first time that the Blazers have tried to bring Anthony on board, but this time, they were able to land him. Anthony hasn’t taken the floor in more than a year since the end of his brief tenure with the Houston Rockets, but he’s apparently stayed in playing shape and is ready to make an impact with his new squad.
What might come as a bit of a surprise is the load he will shoulder right away. According to Marc Spears of ESPN, Anthony will get about 20 minutes worth of action on Tuesday night, when Portland travels to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. Even more surprising is that Anthony, per Spears, is slated to start the game.
Carmelo Anthony is starting https://t.co/BdAvIxV6bQ
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) November 19, 2019
Adding to Anthony’s potential workload is that Portland will not have Damian Lillard, who is dealing with back spasms, for Tuesday’s game. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and when it comes to Blazers fans, the opportunity for Anthony to make a positive one will present itself right away. Now, it’s up to him to take advantage of the fact that things have fallen into place for him quite nicely.
