Last week, Carmelo Anthony formalized his retirement from sport, and he joined the fine list of stars who have never won a title. There are, in bulk, Allen Iverson, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley or Steve Nash and Patrick Ewing. Ninth best scorer in the NBA, “Melo” will not have succeeded in imitating his two friends from the 2003 Draft: Dwyane Wade and of course LeBron James. But he has no regrets.
“I’m at peace with that. The idea that you’re a loser when you don’t win a title doesn’t bother me anymore.he confided to Sports Illustrated. “For me, I won. I won in 2003 (NCAA), I won the night I shook hands with David Stern on that stage. I managed to get out of Red Hook. I won in life. The ring is the only thing I didn’t have. It would have been a great accomplishment, but I don’t regret it, because I feel like I did everything I could to get it.”
A three-year contract at the Heat…
Three-time Olympic champion, Anthony has one of the finest records of his generation, and he is considered one of the best strikers in history. But in the NBA, he never managed to do better than a conference final. It was 2009 and his Nuggets had fallen on Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, future champions. Maybe he should have agreed to join the “Heatles” in Miami? Dwyane Wade had called it…
“My only regret is that I wasn’t smart enough on the business side of basketball…I had a call from D-Wade: ‘Get the three-year deal. We all do it! » And I answered him : « But you know where I come from ? I am happy my brother! I’m fine in Denver. »
The following season, Melo will push to leave the Nuggets and join Amar’e Stoudemire at the Knicks, at his home in New York. But he will not experience the same success there as his friends in Miami. His New York story, or rather with Phil Jackson, will even end very badly. Ditto in Houston where he had joined James Harden and Chris Paul. In fact, it will take time to accept that basketball had changed, and that he had to accept playing strong winger, or even coming off the bench.
“I wish I had come to Portland sooner”
“No one has ever really explained it to me,” regrets Carmelo Anthony about his failed move to the Rockets. “To be honest, nobody can explain it to me, because there is no real reason for everything that happened. And I wanted it. I agreed to come off the bench. I did everything I was asked to do. I kept telling myself it must be deeper than that. I had the impression that it went beyond basketball at that time. »
Eventually, as he considers hanging up the sneakers, he agrees to join the Blazers. There, he lives again, and offers himself an end of career worthy of the name: “Seeing where they were, and seeing where I was, it was literally perfect! It was easy. No pressure. I was at peace with myself. Looking back, it was 20 out of 20, but I wish I had come to it sooner…”
Like what, there are still some regrets…
| carmelo anthony | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2003-04 | DEN | 82 | 37 | 42.6 | 32.2 | 77.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 21.0 |
| 2004-05 | DEN | 75 | 35 | 43.1 | 26.6 | 79.6 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 20.8 |
| 2005-06 | DEN | 80 | 37 | 48.1 | 24.3 | 80.8 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 26.5 |
| 2006-07 | DEN | 65 | 38 | 47.6 | 26.8 | 80.8 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 28.9 |
| 2007-08 | DEN | 77 | 36 | 49.2 | 35.4 | 78.6 | 2.3 | 5.1 | 7.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 25.7 |
| 2008-09 | DEN | 66 | 35 | 44.3 | 37.1 | 79.3 | 1.6 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 22.8 |
| 2009-10 | DEN | 69 | 38 | 45.8 | 31.6 | 83.0 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 6.6 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 28.2 |
| 2010-11* | All Teams | 77 | 36 | 45.5 | 37.8 | 83.8 | 1.5 | 5.8 | 7.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 25.6 |
| 2010-11* | DEN | 50 | 36 | 45.2 | 33.3 | 82.3 | 1.5 | 6.1 | 7.6 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 25.2 |
| 2010-11* | NYK | 27 | 36 | 46.1 | 42.4 | 87.2 | 1.5 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 26.3 |
| 2011-12 | NYK | 55 | 34 | 43.0 | 33.5 | 80.4 | 1.6 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 22.6 |
| 2012-13 | NYK | 67 | 37 | 44.9 | 37.9 | 83.0 | 2.0 | 4.9 | 6.9 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 28.7 |
| 2013-14 | NYK | 77 | 39 | 45.2 | 40.2 | 84.8 | 1.9 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 27.4 |
| 2014-15 | NYK | 40 | 36 | 44.4 | 34.1 | 79.7 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 6.6 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 24.2 |
| 2015-16 | NYK | 72 | 35 | 43.4 | 33.9 | 82.9 | 1.4 | 6.4 | 7.7 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 21.9 |
| 2016-17 | NYK | 74 | 34 | 43.3 | 35.9 | 83.3 | 0.8 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 22.4 |
| 2017-18 | OKAY | 78 | 32 | 40.4 | 35.7 | 76.7 | 0.9 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 16.2 |
| 2018-19 | HOO | 10 | 29 | 40.5 | 32.8 | 68.2 | 0.9 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 0.5 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 13.4 |
| 2019-20 | ORP | 58 | 33 | 43.0 | 38.5 | 84.5 | 1.2 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 15.4 |
| 2020-21 | ORP | 69 | 25 | 42.1 | 40.9 | 89.0 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 13.4 |
| 2021-22 | ALL | 69 | 26 | 44.1 | 37.5 | 83.0 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 13.3 |
| Total | 1260 | 35 | 44.7 | 35.5 | 81.4 | 1.6 | 4.6 | 6.2 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 22.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
