NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony’s Camp ‘Disputing’ Idea That Melo Is A ‘Team Cancer,’ Per ‘Heavy’

Carmelo Anthony’s previous seasons in the NBA have been a disaster. When he parted ways with the New York Knicks in the summer of 2017, Anthony thought that the controversy surrounding his NBA career would already die down, but he was wrong. After suffering a huge disappointment with Russell Westbrook and Paul George with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Anthony struggled alongside Chris Paul and James Harden in Houston which made the Rockets decide to trade him to the Chicago Bulls.

Since being waived by the Bulls, Carmelo Anthony is yet to find an NBA team that will allow him to continue his NBA career. Anthony is indeed one of the best scorers the league has ever seen, but with his disastrous stints with the Rockets and the Thunder, most legitimate contenders are wary that adding him would do harm more than good on their roster. As of now, Sean Deveney of Heavy revealed that Anthony’s camp is doing everything they can to convince NBA teams to give the 10-time NBA All-Star another chance to prove himself.

Carmelo Anthony’s camp is reportedly fighting the perception that the veteran small forward can no longer be a functional team player “aggressively.” They are insisting that Anthony has been used as a “scapegoat” during his stints with the Knicks, Thunder, and the Rockets where he took most of the blame for their struggle.

“He has been the scapegoat for a few teams that didn’t play up to their potential,” the source told Deveney.

“Obviously that is sticking with him. They’re showing teams he can play, but they’re also making the case that the negative reputation stuff is BS, that he is not a team-killer, that other people put blame on him the last few years that he didn’t deserve.”

Carmelo Anthony Would Love to Join KD & Kyrie in Brooklyn, 'That's Family' https://t.co/Do3EKpuzoi

— TMZ (@TMZ) September 1, 2019

Aside from showing that he could still be a reliable contributor on the court, Carmelo Anthony’s camp also wants to show that the veteran small forward can be useful off the court. They are aiming to convince teams that Anthony is a “positive distraction” who can help them with the media and not a “team cancer.”

“He’s got a lot of friends in the league, he is liked by other players,” the source said.

“He’s got friends in the media. He doesn’t get into trouble off the court, he never has.”

Deveney believes that Carmelo Anthony would be a great addition to legitimate title contenders who are expected to receive significant media attention in the 2019-20 NBA season. These include the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Brooklyn Nets. However, of all those three, the Nets are the only team that is rumored to have interest in signing Anthony.