Time to go

So, yes, Anthony’s at a crossroads again, and probably the last one he’ll encounter before calling it quits. Should he get the path with the dead end, it’s too bad his final outing was a whimper. Two points off one-of-12 shooting in an ultimately meaningl

To argue that Carmelo Anthony has had a controversial 2018-19 campaign would be to understate the obvious. Following a season with the Thunder in which he wound up an ill fit as a third option, he found himself traded to and bought out by the Hawks (in the process literally earning an unused jersey), and then signing, to much fanfare, with the Rockets. Unfortunately, his welcome lasted all of three weeks; he was decommissioned after 10 games, and then traded to the Bulls, who also saw fit to promptly cut their ties with him. All the criticisms about his outdated style of play aside, he deserves a better finish to his Hall of Fame career.

Not that Anthony believes he’s done. True, he‘s ready for the possibility of forced retirement. “I’d be sitting here lying to you if I said it’s not coming soon,” he told The Huffington Post’s Taryn Finley. “At the end of the day, at anything you do, when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.” Then again, he’s clearly holding out hope some playoffbound team somewhere would find some value in availing of his services. And it’s not inconceivable; pro hoops annals are littered with examples of supposed castoffs making significant postseason contributions en route to collective success. That said, there appears to be a chasm between the possible and the probable when it comes to Anthony. It has been a full three weeks since the trade deadline came and went, and yet there has been little to no interest in him. And if there’s any sense of urgency, it can’t be more evident than today. After the first of March, no player claimed off the waiver wire can burn rubber in the playoffs. Which is why speculation on his immediate future has again intensified. Where will he go? Or, better yet, where can he go?

Strange things happen with frequency in the National Basketball Association, so there can no such thing as never insofar as player movements are concerned. On the other hand, it’s fair to contend that Anthony’s coming close to the end of the line. Even the Lakers, who continually aim to please LeBron James, his close friend, aren’t biting, and no wonder; his midrange strengths don’t fit the system of the purple and gold. And, at this point, they’re not even certain of making the postseason, where, at the very least, his experience can count in the locker room.

So, yes, Anthony’s at a crossroads again, and probably the last one he’ll encounter before calling it quits. Should he get the path with the dead end, it’s too bad his final outing was a whimper. Two points off one-of-12 shooting in an ultimately meaningless November loss shouldn’t be the way to go, but it may be his. To his credit, though, he’s ready — as, seemingly, everybody else has long been.