Shootin’ like the Melo of old

The 3rd pick in the loaded 2003 Draft is one of the best spot-up shooters around.  At 36-years old, he may have aged but still very dependable in clutch situations and is one of the better tough shot makers in the NBA. 

In 40 games with the Portland Trailblazers, Carmelo Anthony is averaging 14.2 points in 26 minutes of action. Last Sunday, he overtook NBA legend and 2-time champion Hakeem Olajuwon for the 11th spot on the league’s all-time scoring list who ended his career with 26,946 points.

Converting 42 percent of his shots, Melo as of this writing has 27,013 career points and is just 300 points away from another game legend Elvin Hayes in 10th place with 27,313 career points. If he continues to score at this rate and barring any injuries, he will pass Hayes by the end of April.

Melo is not the number one scoring option anymore. Damian Lillard is Portland’s main man and the recently reinstated CJ McCollum had regained his scoring touch. Next to Gary Trent, Jr., he’s fourth on the team in scoring behind the above-mentioned players. He had accepted his role as a bench player and though is not scoring like he used to, there are some nights that he’s like vintage Carmelo. 

With a veteran’s minimum salary of $2.6 million, he ranks 10th on Portland’s salary and the Blazers got a really good bargain considering the assortment of injuries the team had at the start of the season. They had relied on Melo prior to McCollum’s return.

An interesting fact on the 27,000-point club.  Melo is currently the only player in the group who has not won an MVP award or a championship. Througout his career, he had been with solid teams but they were never good enough to reach the Finals.

He’ll probably retire without an MVP or a title and join some of the more capable offensive players without rings like Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Dominique Wilkins, Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash and big men Yao Ming, Patrick Ewing and Dikembe Motumbo.  Most likely to follow suit are Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. 

The former NBA scoring champion continues to be relevant in a league dependent on outside shooting and provides instant offense when called up.  And if you do collect basketball cards, hold on to your Melos, especially his rookie cards. He may not be young, but he still has the flow and is shootin’ like the Melo of old.