Carmelo Anthony is still a free agent, and so far no team has offered him a deal yet. Since things are looking bleak for the All-Star NBA player, popular NBA offseason trainer Chris Brickley stepped up recently and shared that unlike popular belief, Melo just wanted to have a farewell season in the league. The idea was supported by Damian Lillard who even campaigned for the player to be with the Portland Trail Blazers, but a sports analyst does not think Melo is deserving of a farewell season similar to that of Dwayne Wade.
Currently, Melo has not yet gotten for himself a team to play within the upcoming NBA season, and he would be lucky to find himself on the roster of an NBA team once again. After playing for the Houston Rockets, moved to Chicago Bulls and was later waived, Melo has not played in the NBA since November 2018. And, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith does not think Carmelo Anthony deserves a farewell tour just yet.
Smith noted that he is kind of expecting that the Farewell Tour on NBA is reserved for top-caliber players who have helped their team win an NBA championship. The ESPN commentator and sports analysts went as far as enumerating the names of iconic NBA players who had a farewell tour. This includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, among others. Smith also mentioned that Dirk Nowitzki and Dwayne Wade deserved their farewell tour because they are champions and MVPs.
.@stephenasmith doesn't think Melo is deserving of a farewell tour. (via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/2QkcgsaBSl — ESPN (@espn) July 31, 2019
There is no doubt that Carmelo Anthony is nowhere near the level of Dwayne Wade statistically and socially speaking. Wade is a 13-times All-Star NBA player and is considered as the third-best shooting guard the league ever had. Additionally, Wade has got a lot under his belt to show it off including 8 All-NBA selections, a Finals MVP, and 3 NBA Championships.
Carmelo Anthony has not played even in one NBA championship game. Interestingly, he has this reputation as a one-dimensional ball-stopping player, but, this too, has not done really well for his career. Additionally, Carmelo Anthony never had a postseason success and got a lot of criticisms for his playing style. But, despite this all, Melo is a great scorer in the league, which could be a good argument for him getting some recognition from the league at the end of his journey.
Many NBA fans believe that Carmelo Anthony is a great NBA player and many others still question that statement arguing that if he is that good of a player why he hasn't had a team right now. There is still plenty of time for Melo and who knows, he might get a team soon, but as for the Farewell Tour, many fans are still raising their eyebrows about it.
