Carmelo Anthony Exceeding Expectations in Portland

There is no doubt in Rip City that Carmelo Anthony provided a spark to a struggling Trail Blazers squad, and Dan Bernstein of the Sporting News details how Anthony has exceeded expectations during his time in Portland. Bernstein notes that for Anthony, a stop in Portland marks his return to the league after a year away, and that return is paying dividends for both Anthony and the Trail Blazers.

A lack of team-oriented play and jarring inefficiency nearly kept Anthony from ever playing in the NBA again, and made his signing this year at first look like a desperate pity play for a struggling Portland squad. But right now, Anthony is shooting 46.2 percent from the field and fitting nicely alongside a group of Blazers that needed another scorer to succeed.

Six games into his tenure under coach Terry Stotts, Anthony appears ready to far exceed his production from the previous two seasons.

Anthony’s capabilities are fully shown in this NBA highlight reel of his first six games with the Blazers:

Rip City hopes the upward trend continues as Anthony meshes with both his fellow players and Terry Stotts’ system.