Blazers lose series, but Melo found a home
The 17-year veteran stated he wants to re-sign with the Blazers
Saturday night, the final night we will see the Portland Trail Blazers this season was another exercise appreciating the small wins. The 2019-20 season for the Portland Trail Blazers came to an end last night, as the Los Angeles Lakers closed them out with a 131-122 win in Game 5. Saturday was a reminder that even though things don’t go as planned, they can still work out better than you expect. That’s a hard realization to come by these days and we can thank the Blazers and Carmelo Anthony for it.
The NBA walkout that caused this game to be played was not only a crucial moment for the league, but it also gave Blazers fans a chance to grieve the loss of Cliff Robinson with the squad paying homage to the fallen legend with black headbands. Saturday night’s season finale, like the rest of the season, was an exercise in not just appreciating your path here, but those who joined you along the way and the ones that are by your side for the next fight. When the Blazers fell to 4-8 early in the season, Zach Collins was injured and there was little getting the team going at the forward spot, the Blazers signed Carmelo Anthony. And in loss, as well as a night of tragedy on the streets of Portland, Anthony gave the Blazers something to hold onto as hope for next year on Saturday night.
“I pray that it can be Portland,” Anthony said when asked about what he will value in free agency, with rumors about a return to New York or joining the Lakers always surrounding him. “I think that I found a home in Portland.”
The national conversation about Carmelo has always been about the big markets. But the experience of Anthony in Portland has consistently defied the national conversation. Carmelo became a mentor to everyone, including Dame, but also Gary Trent Jr. and Wenyen Gabriel. Terry Stotts has been nothing but reverential to Anthony with his rhetoric but he also allowed Anthony the freedom to isolate, catch the ball at the elbow and play the game on his terms. Those of us who cover the NBA daily have referred to this as a revival, but as Anthony rightfully points out, Melo finally found a home. And Anthony has no time for “I told you so.”
“I don’t have anything to say to those people,” Anthony said about the people who called him washed-up and done being as an NBA player. “I’ve always stayed true to myself. I believed in myself, know who I am. A lot of times good things happen to people who stay true to themselves. In staying true to myself, Portland came. A great thing for the organization, a great time for me all the way around.”
After forcing his way out of Denver to New York and then being forced out of New York, Carmelo has effectively been a journeyman in the league. His contract was being used only as trade fodder and his basketball exploits were being limited to clips posted to Instagram by his trainer. Now he’s found a place to hang his hat and from the sound of it last night, finish his career.
“He took the challenge of guarding the best player in the world,” CJ McCollum, who led the Blazers with 36 points, said about Anthony, whom he tried to recruit to Portland for years. “We were thankful to have him and I hope we could have him next year. If it was up to me, I wish I could play with him for the rest of his career but I guess that’s above my pay grade.”
Of course, as there is always a chance in free agency, things could fall apart. But considering Portland’s well-documented struggles with attracting free agents, as well as it as a constant talking point by Neil Olshey in discussing personnel issues, it would be an unbelievable fumble to treat the first big-name free agent who wants to sign here by telling him to walk. It’s very clear where Damian Lillard stands. He wants the guy he can count on to hit big shots when he passes it to him to come back.
The Blazers lost the series last night and are now coming home. They also gave a valiant effort in the closeout game, with Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum both playing through injuries to push the Lakers stars to have their best performance as a duo so far in the playoffs. Now they get to rest, CJ can heal his back, Dame his knee and Zach Collins can get surgery, while Rodney Hood rehabs.
This year didn’t go as planned in more ways than we can list here. But as the Blazers left Disney World on Sunday morning and return home to their families, they can take solace in the fact they’ll return to the court healthier whenever that return is. And as the NBA awaits a period of uncertainty following the Finals, with the draft and free agency likely to be delayed, the Blazers don’t have much to worry about with their most notable free agent. Anthony wants to Stay Melo in Portland.