‘Greatness Speaks For Itself’- CJ McCollum Opens Up On Carmelo Anthony’s Impact on the Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the most solid teams in the NBA in the last few seasons. While they struggled to get the eighth seed that year, the team were Western Conference finalists the season before. However, it really looked like Portland would miss out on the playoffs because of injuries to most of the team’s frontcourt.

But the Trail Blazers took a chance by signing Carmelo Anthony, who had been out of the league for over a year. But Melo hit the ground running and is now a crucial rotational piece for the Blazers. Back-court star CJ McCollum has commented on the situation around the Blazers signing Melo in 2019 and his impact on the team.

“That’s why we brought Melo in. Last season, we knew what to expect from him. His greatness speaks for itself, his ability to score, his leadership is an undervalued aspect to his game. Him having so much experience, having the presence in the locker room, being able to do stuff. Pre-COVID when we could go out and to dinner and have the conversations about the game and stuff.

Portland Trail Blazers: Can they compete for a title?

The Portland Trail Blazers are title contenders every season. After all, Damian Lillard has already crossed 30 and the window for the team to win a title with him narrows every year. They have fallen into the same rut that top contenders in small-market teams face. They are stretched financially, but still need a major piece to put them over the edge.

However, the team’s makeup as it is right now is formidable. They have been unlucky with injuries and have paid a hefty price over the last few seasons. But the one thing that Lillard has proven is that he can win any game if the score is somewhat close towards the end. That is a weapon of disaster in the playoffs.

READ MORE: Damian Lillard Joins Former MVPs On Historic Clutch Time Performance Numbers

The success for Portland begins and ends with Dame. However, the team will become scarier when they are at full-strength. Carmelo Anthony is on this team, and his title window is especially shorter than the others.