OKC ‘a championship team’ with Anthony, says George

Paul George, Carmelo Anthony’s new teammate in Oklahoma City, said the newest addition from New York has made the Thunder a “championship team.” George, a free agent next summer, also sounded as if he would be ready to be there long-term if the new Big Three can stay put. Anthony has an optout after this season. If he stayed with the Knicks, he was expected to have used it. Now it’s wait and see as he tastes his new environment with George and Russell Westbrook. Oklahoma City will hold its me- dia day Monday, when Anthony will make his first comments. He was scheduled to fly into OKC on Sunday night with fans photographed waiting at the airport (one fan reportedly was handing out sleeveless hoodies in honor of Anthony’s nowfamous workout gear).

“This feels like a championship team,” George told USA Today. “I’m in a good place. I know Russ is in a good place. Melo is motivated more than

ever.”

Anthony never has been past the conference finals in his career and hasn’t made the playoffs four straight years.

“You put us three together, who all have something to prove still, [and] we’re going to be a special team. We have a young group, a lot of talent here, an unbelievable coach [in Billy Donovan]. As you see, [we have] a front office that’s willing to do whatever it takes to improve the team. It just has all the makeups to be a great organization and a chance to put championships together.”

Anthony played with Westbrook on the U.S. Olympic team in 2012 in London and with George in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Anthony reportedly was convinced by the George-Westbrook combo to add OKC in ex

panding his trade wish list Friday night. Anthony had been in a summer stalemate with the Knicks, who failed to gain traction in any talks with the Rockets. Westbrook played with Anthony during his Manhattan scrimmages this summer.

“Russ and Melo, they’ve had a relationship far longer and way before me and Melo had a relationship,” George said. “Those two have been on USA teams, and then when I got the chance to play with Melo on the USA team, I expressed [and] he expressed how much we wanted to play alongside each other in an NBA uniform. And then when we both were presented this opportunity this summer, and knowing Melo wanted to opt out and wanted to move on, we’ve connected. We talked, and he expressed again — ‘Hey, I would love to come join you guys and be a part of what you guys have got going there.’ And then from there, it’s a nobrainer. We run with it,

and it came to life.”