After a crushing defeat in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2021 offseason with high ambitions.
It wouldn't take long for GM Rob Pelinka to meet those ambitions, as he would make a number of notable moves over the next few weeks.
One of their most important signings of all may be adding NBA veteran Carmelo Anthony, who is expected to provide a major scoring spark off the bench.
In a segment on Stephen A.'s World, the notorious Stephen A. Smith dedicated some air time to discuss the move and rave about all that Melo brings to the table.
"LeBron and the Lakers should be down on their knees thanking God they got Carmelo Anthony. Because even at age 37, Carmelo has a lot of good basketball left in him. He showed that the last two years in Portland after most everyone wrote him off. An entire season out of the NBA.
Carmelo is as good a scorer off the bench as there is in the league as far as I'm concerned. He's got that kind of potential and he's hungry too.
Wants to win, he joined the Lakers to win. Could have got more money elsewhere, probably more playing time elsewhere. But right now, this is bout a 'chip. And it's a damn shame a player of Carmelo Anthony's caliber has never even played in the NBA Finals.
Man won a national title in college, won a whole drawer full of Olympic gold medals, but has never been in the NBA Finals. This year, playing with LeBron, AD, and Russell Westbrook, this year is his best chance to make it happen."
At this stage of his career, Anthony is no longer the focal point of the offense. He's also not a particularly great defender, either.
But he's still got plenty left in the tank as a shooter and scorer. Now, more than ever before, Melo is driven and motivated to help his team capture another title.
We don't yet know how it will all end, or if Carmelo will capture a ring before he retires, but his arrival to the Lakers is a partnership both sides will find mutually beneficial.
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