Portland Trail Blazers: Carmelo Anthony potentially not returning stings

If Carmelo Anthony does not play in the NBA’s resumed season next month, it would be a significant blow to the Portland Trail Blazers’ playoff chances.

The Portland Trail Blazers will have the chance to contend for the NBA playoffs in the resumed season next month, but they could be without veteran Carmelo Anthony. The 10-time All-Star spoke with Turner Sports’ Ernie Johnson on Wednesday and detailed how he is unsure about returning for the Blazers next month.

"“As far as actually playing and going back down into Orlando, I’m still up in the air a little bit because … we don’t have all the details. … We don’t know a lot of information, so until we have that, it’s hard to just commit to that 100 percent.”"

The NBA will not punish players that decide to sit out games, although they will not get paid if they do so. If Anthony ultimately decides to go this route, no one should slander him for wanting to protect himself and his family from coronavirus concerns or standing up for what he believes in. However, it would be a damaging blow to the Blazers’ hopes of contending that had recently been on the rise.

More from Portland Trail Blazers

• Damian Lillard needs just two words to dismantle a Blazers fan’s hot take
• NBA Rumors: Stalled trade talks may lead to Blazers, 76ers keeping stars
• The NBA’s strong message to Lillard clears path for a major trade
• NBA Trades: Is this the deal that finally sends Damian Lillard to Miami?
• 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year

Portland’s injury-riddled season saw them halt as the Western Conference’s 9-seed, but this extended time off has provided the team the opportunity to heal up. Two names more prominent than others are Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic, who the team has been without for most of the season.

Damian Lillard recently assured that both of those players were healthy, and adding them back into this rotation would provide a significant boost. Because of these two returning to a roster that already has Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and other reputable pieces, one could argue that the Blazers had the best chance of any of the hopefuls to make it into the postseason next month. However, if Carmelo Anthony does not make the trip with the team to Orlando, it could be a significant hit to those chances.

Anthony averaged 15.3 points per game this season, good enough to be the fourth leading scorer on the team. Although a minimized role was one of the prominent reasons things did not work elsewhere for Carmelo in recent years, he was fantastic for the Blazers.

Around a year away from the game, he returned to the NBA for Portland and provided a lethal scoring threat on the wing all season. Having shot his highest field goal percentage since 2016-17 and his highest 3-point percentage since 2013-14, Anthony rejuvenated himself in this new role after many assumed his career was over.

With their fourth-leading scorer, an efficient one at that, potentially going to miss the remainder of the season, the Portland Trail Blazers could be in trouble. Anthony contributed immensely to Portland’s 10th ranked offensive rating, but also their 27th ranked defensive rating. The Blazers were not a stellar defensive team by any means, held together by their prolific offense.

The team needs scoring to stay in games, and if Anthony, one of the most dynamic scorers in NBA history, sits out, the Blazers would get impacted significantly. Carmelo served as the perfect complement to the Lillard-McCollum backcourt, and a missing 15.3 points per game is not easily replaceable.

For a team that was in the Western Conference Finals last season, they have fallen far this year and could soon lose the slight sliver of hope they have this season.

If Anthony ultimately decides to join the team in Orlando, they could be a potential dark horse at full strength.