Tag: carmelo anthony

Lakers’ Anthony on Embiid: ‘His footwork is incredible, Olajuwon-esque, his post game is special’

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Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid had another strong performance with 26 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists as Philly defeated the LeBron James-less Lakers 105-87 at Wells Fargo Center Thursday night.

James missed the game against the 76ers with knee soreness.

Embiid extended his streak of 25-point performances to 16 games, and before the win over the Lakers, Embiid was named a starter in his fifth straight All-Star Game.  

After the game, Embiid reacted to being named an All-Star starter.

“Yeah, you know I could never take that for granted,’ he said. “You know, five times in a row now. You know, blessed, really to be in this position. You know there’s not a lot of guys that get to go through this. So anytime it happens, you know I’m just blessed.”

76ers head coach Doc Rivers added on Embiid: “Obviously, he was gonna make it, you know, but he’s done more than just been an All-Star for us; he’s doing everything for us on and off the floor. That’s why we have the record. I mean, with all the stuff floating around this team, we just keep winning; a lot of that is Joel’s leadership.” 

Carmelo Anthony, who had nine points off the Lakers’ bench, thinks Embiid is a different player this season.

“I’m not the guy that likes to compare players and people because we will never see what that was about; his footwork is incredible, you know Olajuwon-esque, his post game is special,” Anthony said after the game. “He’s seven-two, he’s big, he is hard to guard. I’ll just keep it a hundred with you. He is a very tough guy to check out there on the court. I love the fact that he is playing at his own pace right now; he’s found his pace to play at; he’s taking the game a lot more serious now, as you can see, as we all can see. And that’s why he is able to dominate the way that he is able to do now, and he’s playing at an all-time high right now.”

Embiid is displaying the footwork of Olajuwon and playing with the dominance of Shaq, and right now, he’s carrying the 76ers on his back. Despite all the drama surrounding Ben Simmons, Philadelphia(29-19) is the fifth seed in the East and two games behind the Heat for the top spot in the conference. In addition, they are 26-11 when Embiid is in the lineup, so they’re in a decent spot right now.

We’ll see if they can improve the team before the trade deadline because the East is wide open.

 

Worthy on Melo to LA: ‘I think Carmelo has proven that he is an outstanding shooter, but It’s kind of what we need’

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Recently, Lakers star LeBron James came out and said that he was open to Carmelo Anthony joining the Lakers.

Here is what James had to say on Tuesday after the Lakers loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

“We’ll see. I don’t run the team,” James said. “There are obviously things that need to be worked out on both sides. But I’ve always wanted to play with Melo, and if the opportunity presents itself, it’ll be great. So we’ll see what happens.”

Anthony, 34, is expected to be released by the Rockets after ten games with the team.

According to former Laker great James Worthy, Melo to the Lakers may not be a bad idea:

“I know they are good friends, and I think Carmelo has proven that he is an outstanding shooter, but It’s kind of what we need,” Worthy told TMZ Sports.

James and Anthony are longtime friends, and Worthy believes Melo would be fine with the Lakers if he is willing to embrace his role with the team.

 “He’s at the end of his career,” Worthy said. “I think if he would be willing to take a certain role, I think he would be okay.”

The Lakers could use Melo’s shooting, but I think it comes down to what role Melo is willing to take with the Lakers.

There comes a time in every player’s career where they have to realize they are not the same guy that they once were, and that is where Melo is at this point in his career. If he embraces coming off the bench, Melo can continue to play on. If not, he is better off retiring.

 

Ex-NBA player Moon on Rockets: ‘I like them better with Trevor Ariza'(VIDEO)

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Last season, the Houston Rockets were one game away from the NBA Finals, but unfortunately their star guard Chris Paul went down with a hamstring injury. Ultimately, the Rockets would fall to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

Coming into next season, the Rockets will look a little different. Gone are two key members of the 2017-18 team in Trevor Ariza(Suns) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute(Clippers). Both guys are 3-and-D players and both guys were a big reason Houston had the best record in the NBA last season. They were replaced by 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who struggled last season in OKC, and at age 34, some question how much he has left in the tank. But he could be motivated after what happened last season.

However, former NBA player Jamario Moon feels the Rockets were better off with Ariza:

“Me personally, I like them better with Trevor Ariza,” Moon recently told Paul Gant. “Because I like people that lock up on defense, and can still knock down some threes or knock down some open shots. “They’re not going to be bad because they got Carmelo, but me personally, I like them better with Trevor Ariza.”

The Rockets are going to be contenders next season, but it should be interesting to see if Anthony will mesh with this team.

Listen below:

 

Report: Thunder expected to move Carmelo Anthony this summer

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According to ESPN, Carmelo Anthony and OKC will part ways at some point this summer,

Oklahoma City can use the stretch provision on Anthony’s $27.9 million contract to eliminate a staggering $107 million off the team’s 2018-19 payroll and tax bill, but the Thunder first plan to pursue trade possibilities with teams looking to acquire a massive expire deal to salary cap space in July 2019 free agency, according to the report.

Anthony, 34, had his struggles last season fitting in with Paul George and Russell Westbrook, but he should have options. Would he try to play with LeBron in Los Angeles? Does he play with Chris Paul in Houston? We’ll see, but Melo still can be a valuable piece for a championship contending team.

At this point, OKC has a payroll and luxury tax bill of $310 million, so moving on from Melo is not surprising.

Report: Carmelo Anthony to OKC

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The final shoe has dropped in this NBA offseason. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks have sent Carmelo Anthony to OKC for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a draft pick(2018 2nd round pick).

In order for this deal to happen, Anthony had to waive his no-trade clause. With Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Anthony, the Thunder have turned themselves into title contenders.

According to Wojnarowski, Westbrook and George convinced Melo to waive his no-trade.

Westbrook, George, and Anthony can opt out of their contracts in summer of 2018.  Maybe they can win in Oklahoma City and stay for a long time.

This is shaping up to be a great NBA season!

The Thunder will play New York in the season opener.

 

Stephen A. Smith is not happy with Carmelo Anthony being rank 64th in NBA by ESPN

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Each year ESPN releases their list of the 100 best players in the NBA, and after this season, you have to question whether this list is even legitimate.

Somehow, some way ESPN said the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony was the 64th best player in the league. They said guys like Lonzo Ball, Danny Green, and Robert Covington, to name a few, are better than Melo. How is that possible?

Here is how Melo responded via Twitter on Monday:

Today, ESPN’s own Stephen A. Smith expressed his disgust for the list:

 

Ex-Knick Justin Holiday on whether Melo will return to Knicks: ‘It’s hard to see and figure out which way it would go’

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Carmelo Anthony said the last 12 months have been an “emotional roller coaster.” Whether it’s dealing with drama with Phil Jackson and the Knicks, or dealing with marital issues at home. It has been a rough year for Anthony.

Now, Jackson is gone, and Anthony is still in New York, for now.

Former Knicks F Justin Holiday, who played in New York last season, and signed with the Bulls this offseason, is unsure what might happen next season with the 33-year-old Anthony:

“I actually have been thinking about that, and I do not know. Seriously, I don’t  know,” Holiday told Paul Gant on the Go4it podcast. “One, that was something that he did not speak about, at all. Two, thinking about it myself, what would Melo do? I’m just not sure.  You gotta look at everything, and how the media is toward him, and how they treat him. Obviously, that’s not good, but New York is like home to that dude. He has so many things going on there. It’s hard to see and figure out which way it would go.

It seems the Knicks are not moving very fast to trade Anthony. According to the New York Post, Melo is only looking to go to Houston. Anthony has a full no-trade clause, so he has all the power.  At this point, Anthony is not even sure if he will be at Knicks’ training camp come September.

Maybe Anthony and the Knicks can make nice, or maybe Houston and New York can agree on a trade.

One never knows what could happen with this situation!

 

 

Report: Carmelo Anthony still expects to be traded

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According to ESPN, Carmelo Anthony still expects to be traded. The 33-year-old Anthony is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause for the Rockets or Cavaliers. However, after Houston’s acquisition of Chris Paul, Anthony is said to be more interested in joining the Rockets over the Cavaliers, according to the report.

With GM Scott Perry’s hiring from Sacramento and the promotion of Steve Mills to president, the Knicks have paused those trade discussions, in part, because New York has been unhappy with the recent proposed returns on an Anthony deal, according to the report.

While I believe the Knicks will eventually trade Anthony, they are in the Eastern Conference. Therefore, it could be possible with the way the Knicks are presently constructed that they could sneak into the playoffs, but sneaking into the playoffs really does nothing for Anthony or the Knicks.

 

Former NBA star Mychal Thompson(Klay’s dad) on Melo to Rockets: ‘Serious threat to the Warriors’

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At one point, it seemed that Carmelo Anthony was headed to the Rockets. Now, with a new GM, the Knicks are reportedly open to keeping Anthony in New York. Former NBA player Mychal Thompson, who is the father of the Warriors’ Klay Thompson, believes that Anthony to the Rockets makes them a serious threat to the Warriors, but he does not believe it is enough.

“Overtake the Warriors? I don’t think so, but they’ll be a serious threat to the Warriors,” Thompson told TMZ Sports. “You add Carmelo Anthony to Chris Paul and James Harden, you gotta take them serious.”

Simply put, Thompson believes the Warriors are a special team.

“They just know what it takes to win. They got something special in Oakland.”

Melo to the Rockets definitely gives Houston a chance against the Warriors. Is it enough? I would say no, but injuries can happen. If one of the “Big 4” in Golden State goes down, Houston could supplant the Warriors with Melo, but all things equal, GSW is still the better team.