Carmelo Anthony had refused to come off the bench in the 2017-18 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being asked by a reporter if he would consider a bench role in order to help the team.
After a rough season in Oklahoma City that resulted in Carmelo Anthony being traded and an expected buyout from the Atlanta Hawks, the question resurfaced on whether Carmelo is willing to come off the bench in an interview with Jemele Hill of The Undefeated. Carmelo said that he knows when it’s the best time for him to take that role.
“I know how to play this game of basketball. I’ve been playing it for a long time. When I feel like I’m ready to take that role, then I’ll take that role. Only I know when it’s best for me to take that role,” Anthony said. “I’m not going to do that in a situation where I still know my capabilities and what I can do. And at the end of the day, the people who really matter know my capabilities and what I can still do. You start getting to the media and debates, it’s going to always be kind of back-and-forth.”
Carmelo had also refused to consider a bench role in the Thunder’s exit interview after averaging 11.8 points per game in the playoffs and shot 37.5 percent from the field. “I’m not sacrificing no bench role,” he said in April, per Royce Young of ESPN.com. “So that’s out of the question.”
OKC traded Anthony to the Atlanta Hawks, but he appears set to join the Houston Rockets after an expected buyout.
