What Will Carmelo Anthony’s Legacy Be?

Carmelo Anthony has recently been the victim of memes all across social media based off his poor play in the past few years. Carmelo got traded from the Knicks to the Thunder before last season began. That move got folks excited for the combination of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo’s scoring punch off the ball seemed to be a great fit next to Westbrook. Instead, the fit just wasn’t quite there. Anthony would get the ball and go right into isolation mode instead of catch and shoot. Oklahoma City traded him this offseason to the Hawks who immediately released him.

Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul have been good friends for a long time and dreamed of playing together. That dream came true when Anthony and CP3 teamed up this offseason to begin the Carmelo in Houston ordeal. The Rockets had the best record last season along with the leagues MVP in James Harden; no way Melo could ruin things. Wrong. The Rockets started the season 4-6 in the 10 games he played for them. His time in Houston is now over and how will we remember Carmelo Anthony?

Should Carmelo Anthony Retire?

Carmelo isn’t a bad player. He just doesn’t fit into the systems that succeed in this league. Both Oklahoma City and Houston were fighting to take out the Warriors and Melo’s play just doesn’t allow that to happen. Both of those teams preach ball movement and catch and shoot scoring. On the other hand, Carmelo gets the ball in his hand and takes his time figuring out how to get the best shot for himself. His play is good for personal scoring, but not to gain and keep leads against opponents. Before Carmelo is guaranteed to be known as the player who joins teams and makes them far worse, he should retire. However, a way he could stay in this league and redeem himself a bit would be to join an awful team. The Cavs and Suns are the worst teams in their respective divisions. He can join those teams, they can still lose, but he’ll look like a good player again if he can average 20 for them. It isn’t an ideal scenario, but the only way Carmelo Anthony should stay in this league.

How Should Carmelo be Remembered?

People under 20 will probably only remember Melo as the player who destroyed chemistry in New York. Or the player who went to OKC and couldn’t deliver success. Maybe they’ll even remember him as the player who joined the team with the best record in the West (Rockets) and absolutely made them tank. He shouldn’t at all be remembered for his downfalls of late. Instead, Carmelo Anthony should be remembered as being one of the best scorers this game has ever seen. When he was drafted, many people believed he would be a better player than Lebron James. The rookie of the year voting that year was close and Carmelo barely lost. In his first 10 seasons, Melo averaged 25 ppg along with 6.5 rpg. Those numbers represent a player who can lead his team in multiple facets. Let’s remember him for the extreme greatness he gave us in his early year of Denver and New York. Even if he’s struggling now, there’s no denying that Carmelo Anthony is one of the best players the game has ever seen.

-Brandon Black (Follow @bhblack02)

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