Nobody expected Carmelo Anthony to put up huge numbers in his first National Basketball Association contest in a year. There can be no overestimating the fitness required to keep up with, let alone produce, in the fast pace of modern hoops. For all his efforts to stay in shape while unemployed, even he understands that he will need time to work himself back to adequacy in active competition. And, true enough, his debut with the Blazers yesterday left much to be desired; in 24 minutes of play en route to a blowout loss, he put up a game-worst plus-minus rating of negative 20.
To be sure, Anthony did show flashes of the scoring prowess — and, needless to say, the predilection to shoot — that laced the better part of his career. He moved to hit the ground running as part of the starting lineup; his were the Blazers’ first two attempts of the match, and he connected on the second, an open opportunity from beyond the arc. And they certainly needed his offense, especially with leading scorer Damian Lillard sidelined due to back spasms. Unfortunately, he proved rusty at best, going four of 14 from the field all told for 10 markers, with his four rebounds dwarfed by five fouls and five turnovers.
To contend that Anthony was a step — or two, or three — slow on defense would be to understate the obvious. The Pelicans certainly targeted him for mismatches, and he wound up either showing token coverage on the perimeter or being left behind on drives. It’s why he was minus four in his first stint in the court, minus six in his second, minus five in his third, and minus five in his last. He played for six-minute stretches, a clear concession made by Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. He will get better with time. How fast, and by how much, are subject of speculation.
In any case, Anthony will have more chances to strut his stuff. The Blazers don’t need to make a decision on his status until early next year, when his contract becomes fully guaranteed. They need to make it work, and he needs them to exit on his terms. Which means he has to improve, and fast. Else, he may be going through yet another unfortunate divorce, and most definitely his last.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
