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Merry Christmas, Portland Trail Blazers fans! Today Blazer’s Edge is celebrating the holiday in the form of the worst Christmas Song ever written. The staff has compiled a list of gifts suitable for the team, and we’re running them down in 12 posts...with not a partridge or a leaping lord anywhere to be seen. We hope you enjoy the holiday and help us reflect on good wishes for the Blazers!
On the fifth day of Christmas, true fans give to the team...
Carmelo Joy!
No in-season acquisition in Trail Blazers history has caused more stir, nationally and locally, than the Blazers signing Carmelo Anthony in November.
A month into the experiment, Carmelo is...Carmelo! The Blazers are feeding him steadily, 14.5 shot attempts in 30.7 minutes per game. He’s shooting 42.2%, below his career average but far above his recent marks in Oklahoma City and Houston. He’s right in line with mid-30’s Carmelo in terms of points per game and per minute. His 40.6% three-point accuracy has been a pleasant surprise.
We could give Carmelo the Hassan Whiteside treatment and wish for a couple more additions to his game for Christmas, but that’s not what this is about. He’s 35. He’s a former all-world player. He is who he is.
The real contribution Carmelo makes nightly is bringing buzz into the arena, both home and away. It even happens on the Blazers bench. When he does something marvelous, his teammates react as if they’re seeing history unfold before their eyes. It may be somewhat self-centered, but ‘Melo is literally the only Trail Blazers mainstay right now who reacts to plays (often his own) with unbridled joy, as if everything is ok. It’s not entirely, but sometimes it needs to be. Sometimes the team needs to relax and do their thing, like Carmelo does.
Our wish for ‘Melo at Christmas is simple: a good ending to this project. Let the headlines continue, whether the season turns out well or poorly. Let the smiles ring forth. Let this tour be a memorable and happy one for him and the team, a feel-good story in an otherwise muted season.