Carmelo Anthony’s stubbornness is ruining the graceful ending his career deserves

There was a time not long ago when watching viral videos of a hooded Carmelo Anthony running up and down a private court in the summer, getting up shots, and sometimes scrimmaging against other NBA players, elicited excitement and hope. Back then, there was still optimism around Anthony’s ability to be a capable player in the league. The idea was that all he needed was a change of scenery from the toxic environment of the New York Knicks. View this post on Instagram @kyrieirving ➕ @carmeloanthony ➡️ Dangerous summer pick-up team‼️ // @academy.basketball A post shared by Chris Brickley (@cbrickley603) on Jul 18, 2017 at 5:09pm PDT Then came his unimpressive season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team he joined by reasserting his stance that he is too good for a bench role. By then, it was still logical to say that the team wasn’t a good fit for him. He was partnered with two ball dominant players in Paul George and Russell Westbrook, and there was little offensive identity beyond the three of them doing whatever they wanted when they got the ball. And within a team with a strong defensive identity, Anthony was often exposed for his lack of ability and physical mobility. It wasn’t until his Rockets tenure that the bleak reality of Anthony shattered the myth of him. 5 more Carmelo Anthony pieces to read ZILLER: Is this it for Melo’s NBA career? ELLENTUCK: Yup, Melo’s stats with the Rockets really were that bad BLAZER’S EDGE: Carmelo won’t crack Portland’s playoff rotation, so why bother? ZILLER: Melo to Houston made no sense whatsoever LYLES: Remembering Melo’s legendary Hawks “career” ELLENTUCK: The most fitting end to Carmelo Anthony’s career is with the Knicks It’s a myth that was driven by both his own confidence, his insistence on never changing for anyone, and the propaganda of those summer workout videos that made it seem as if he couldn’t miss a shot. It took only 10 games for the Rockets to decide that he was of no use to them. After an early November game against the Thunder in which he made 1 of 11 shots, Anthony was exiled from the team. He was kept on the roster, but the Rockets decided that keeping him inactive was a better solution than having him play in any capacity, even as injuries ravaged the Houston team. On Monday night, Anthony was traded by the Rockets to the Chicago Bulls, who plan to waive him, leaving Anthony without a team. His possible saving grace seems to be the insistent rumors that his friend, LeBron James, might pull some strings to get him on the Lakers. Save for that, it’s hard to see a team that could actually use him. At first, it was a bit admirable — and maybe still is, in a way — that Anthony refused to change when everyone in the greater NBA world was telling him that he was no longer the player that he thought he was. Popular opinion was that the game had moved past him. He was older, slower, and playing an outmoded style of isolation-heavy basketball that had become frowned upon. I

basketball News,basketball,News,#basketball News,#basketball,