Melo’s adjusting so he can survive in NBA’s new era

PHILADELPHIA — The sight of Carmelo Anthony burying a 3pointer Tuesday night and tapping his head three times invoked the memory of a frequent soundtrack at MSG. “Carmelllooo Anthony.” Say what you want about Anthony’s game and ego, he’s the unquestioned greatest Knick of the post-Ewing era. He was the catalyst for three consecutive playoff appearances. He chose what all other stars avoided: being the face of a franchise constantly in turmoil.

But Anthony’s fall was swift after leaving the Knicks. What made him great in New York — the self-confidence, the magnet for the media attention, the mid-post isolation expertise — became a hindrance as a veteran role player. His defense, never a strength, didn’t translate well to the pace-and-space

NBA. Until his 10-point performance for the Blazers on Tuesday, Anthony, 35, had spent nearly a full year out of a job.

“When we started there was a lot of optimism just because free agency had just started,” Anthony’s trainer, Alex

Bazzell, told the Daily News. “But as it went on, it was just tough for him just to personally wake up everyday and just push when you don’t really know if there’s going to be a team that’s going to take a chance on you. I think the toughest part was once the season actually started. Because then he kind of understood, this may not happen.”

Bazzell, one of the pre-eminent basketball skills trainers, worked closely with Anthony over the summer. Among his objectives, beyond keeping Anthony in shape, was to adjust the forward’s game to fit today’s NBA. In other words, quicker decisions with the ball and executing defensive coverages (i.e. ball screens and closeouts).

Operating in the mid-post will always be Anthony’s elite skill, which is why he should never abandon it. But Bazzell said the 10-time All-Star understands the necessity of adaptation and offered no pushback.

“He’s gone 95% of his career where he’s been able to catch the ball, turn, face, have time. He’s never really been the guy that’s setting a ton of ball screens and popping and making quick decisions. So it’s new for him,” Bazzell said. “But it’s something he worked extremely hard on. He understands. He’s not the type of guy who is bullheaded the way people want to portray him. He understands he has to adjust his game for the new style and he’s got to make some sacrifices to be on a team and contribute the way a team wants him to and he wants to.”

Still, zero teams committed to Anthony in the offseason. He worked with players for the Knicks and Nets, but the New York franchises passed. More surprisingly, LeBron James’ Lakers didn’t offer a deal. The Clippers were the closest to signing Anthony before training camp, a source told the News.

“I had talked to a couple assistant GMs and GMs and the whole thing was that it wasn’t about his play. It wasn’t even about him personally,” Bazzell said. “But it was about the media attention that was

going to follow him, like the questions that were going to come every day: Is he happy? Is he getting enough shots? Is he good in the role he’s in? So a lot of teams that, not to his fault, they just thought it was too much of a media distraction to have to deal with early in the season. I think the whole mystique of Melo hurt him.”

Anthony signed last week with the Blazers on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, then was immediately thrust in the starting lineup Tuesday during a 115-104 loss to the Pelicans.

It was unfair to expect too much from Anthony after a year off. His rust was apparent while scoring 14 points on 4of-14 shooting in 24 minutes, but there were enough bright spots to feel encouraged.

If this works out with the Blazers, Anthony will return to the Garden on New Year’s Day.

“We talked a little bit after the game. He’s actually pretty happy with how it went,” Bazzell said. “There’s obviously a lot of emotion involved, a lot of expectations when you have so many people vouch on your behalf on social media and what’s been going on for the last year. You almost feel a need to live up to those expectations right off the bat. It’s just like anything else. All these dudes are human. They need time to really get acclimated, get comfortable.”