We sometimes forget how unstoppable a prime Carmelo Anthony was because we saw him go out of order a little quicker than some of his fellow draft picks of 2003, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade did in their respective careers.
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Although, he played longer than both Wade and Bosh, his willingness to still be a top option in his team while he was declining did not appease a lot of people on and off the court.
But that’s who Melo was. Throughout his 19-year NBA career, the 6ft 7’ small forward decimated opponents and game plans for fun. Who better to tell his story than somebody who played as an opponent and also as a teammate with the 10x All-Star?
Paul George had his toughest challenge in stopping Carmelo Anthony
Paul George is one of the best two-way players of this generation. In a recent drop of the Podcast P, the 8x All-Star revealed the toughest player to defend in his 13-year NBA career and he knew it the first time he played him as his teammate Danny Granger, who had to guard Melo, cited an ankle sprain right before the game.
“Danny (Granger) was supposed to play. We get a call that Danny slips in his bathtub, sprains his ankle and so he’s out for the game. And that was the story – guys would say ‘Oh, you got Melo-itis’ today, huh?’”
Playing at the forward position, the 4x All-Defensive Team member, George has gone against the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant throughout his career.
Still, if PG considers Melo the toughest to stop. One can understand why he gets as much respect from the players’ community despite fans and experts consistently critiquing his capabilities.
Why is Anthony out of the league?
Despite having a terrifically efficient season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22, there were no takers for Melo this season.
An NBA 75th anniversary team member, Anthony averaged at least over 13.3 points shooting around 45% from the field and 38% from the 3-point line, playing 25 minutes per game.
Very few rookies or veteran role players are that efficient in the NBA currently. That’s the reason why there is gossip that the league and the teams try to blackball older athletes for young ones just to save the very money that those older players made them.
