Carmelo Anthony remains unsigned, but the former New York Knicks star is still holding out hope for a farewell similar to Dwyane Wade’s.
They say every athlete dies twice. The first time comes when he finally retires. For Carmelo Anthony, he hasn’t been able to go out on his terms.
The former New York Knick was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, but that didn’t work out as planned. In 2018, he joined up with the Houston Rockets and his old head coach, Mike D’Antoni. That marriage only lasted a mere 10 games before the Rockets told Anthony to take a hike.
Now, according to Melo’s trainer, Chris Brickley, the future Hall of Famer wants a farewell season like Dwyane Wade had with the Miami Heat.
Carmelo’s trainer Chris Brickley says Melo is better than 70 percent of NBA players and wants one more "farewell season" to "do what D-Wade did"
(via @breakfastclubam) pic.twitter.com/mNaUcIzdrE
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 29, 2019
Everywhere Wade went, adoring fans and standing ovations followed. Melo wants that same kind of farewell. But he still hasn’t been able to find a team despite Brickley’s claim that he’s better than 70% of NBA players.
Brickley isn’t the only one who believes Melo deserves a proper farewell. Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard took to Twitter to show his support for Anthony.
#VoteForMeloFareWellSeason #StopPlayinMelo
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) July 29, 2019
However, Lillard’s own team passed on Melo this summer.
We don’t have money. But Melo should be playin https://t.co/E1chjpBlkn
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) July 29, 2019
Obviously, the money situation has nothing to do with Lillard because he’s not the one in the front office making those decisions. But that doesn’t change the fact that his team chose to sign guys like Anthony Tolliver, Pau Gasol, and Mario Hezonja instead.
A farewell tour on the level of Wade’s is highly unlikely for Melo at this point. The Knicks and Denver Nuggets, his first two teams, have moved on and are looking towards the future.
Signing Melo would please many nostalgic fans in New York, but it’s not happening.
