Carmelo Anthony had easily the worst season of his career in 2017-18, which will go down as his lone campaign in Oklahoma City. Melo struggled to adapt to a lesser role, and it was clear he never found a rhythm.
He recently broke down the situation from his perspective in an interview with ESPN's Jemele Hill. Melo told Hill why the situation was doomed from the start.
"It wasn't a good fit...Everything was just so rushed, going to the team for media day and the day before training camp. Them guys already had something in place, and then I come along in the 25th hour like, oh shit, 'Melo, just come on and join us. Like, you can figure it out since you've been around the game for a long time.' That's why it was so inconsistent. At times, I had to figure it out on my own rather than somebody over there or people over there helping me."
Indeed, Anthony joined OKC late in the game. The Thunder traded Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a second-rounder to the Knicks for Melo in late September. Melo, 34, looked washed and refused to come off the bench.
Two weeks ago, OKC and Melo parted ways. The Thunder sent the veteran to the Atlanta Hawks for Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala. Atlanta bought out Carmelo's contract, and he is now widely expected to sign with the Houston Rockets, joining his buddy Chris Paul.
Last season, Melo averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 35.7 percent from three-point range.
