Carmelo Anthony of the Oklahoma City Thunder has made it clear after the playoff against Utah Jazz that he does not want to come from the bank in the future. The Forward believes that he is still too good for such a role.
“I will not sacrifice myself to get off the bank. That’s out of the question,” Anthony said after game 6 against Utah Jazz. “I don’t think I can be effective in a role like that.”
The same question came up when Melo arrived in Oklahoma City, when he was very surprised. “Me from the bank?” Melo reacted in surprise, then turned to fellow player Paul George: “Hey, P, they want me to come from the bank.”
It is not yet certain, however, whether Anthony will also appear in the coming season for the Thunder. Melo may resign from his contract in the summer, but has a $28 million player option for the coming season.
However, the 34-year-old has not yet made a decision. “I need to find out what I want to do for the rest of my career, what role I want to accept,” Anthony said.
“Everyone knows I’ve sacrificed a lot. I moved here alone without my family, putting myself at the service of the crew. “I know I’ve got plenty left in the tank and I can give a lot to basketball.”
However, Anthony already had much better playing times. Melo scored an average of 16.2 points for the Thunder with a field throwing rate of 40.4 percent – the forward in both categories has never been worse in his career.