By most accounts, there is not much in the way of a hurry to lock up 19-year veteran Carmelo Anthony to the Boston Celtics roster as a depth option to soak up injured veteran forward Danilo Gallinari’s minutes while he recuperates from a torn left ACL.
But that doesn’t stop the NBA media from speculating on where Melo might end up playing for the 2022-23 season, and despite a seemingly tepid level of interest in bringing on the former Olympic gold medalist, Anthony is seen as likely to end up on Boston’s roster by Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey at some point this coming season.
More than any other team, in fact.
One, in fact, they know quite well already. https://t.co/hrlmyJMJcZ
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 9, 2022
Beating the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets in descending order, the Celtics got the nod for Bailey’s most likely home for the veteran forward.
“Following reports that Danilo Gallinari had torn his ACL while competing at EuroBasket, the idea of Melo stepping in to fill that role started to gain steam on social media,” writes the B/R analyst.
On the latest episode of the Celtics Lab podcast, we put our heads together to see if the NBA is ready to expand and how it might affect Boston with a mock three-team expansion draft. https://t.co/PAyzn2A9mg
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 9, 2022
“This week, The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn made it sound like a real possibility,” suggests Bailey.
“‘This is starting to gain traction because Anthony may be the best shooting forward left on the market, and he has shown to be productive offensively despite his age,” Washburn wrote. “Anthony wants an opportunity to win a championship, and this could be his best chance.'”
“Melo may be four years older than Gallo, but his 2021-22 production was comparable,” suggests the author.
What are the ceilings, floors of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Malcolm Brogdon for the 2022-23 NBA season? https://t.co/MaCc9q9EhB
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 9, 2022
We think the Celtics are right to explore their internal options and perhaps also overseas options a little less long in the tooth should they feel they need to bring on depth to help with Gallo’s option, we’ve come around some to the idea of Melo as an option if the team felt that the best move.
But between his mediocre (to be generous) defense in recent years, the potential for decline, and opportunity cost to try other options, we’d be looking elsewhere first.
Nike is expected to release a Celtics-inspired pair of Air Jordan 1s in summer 2023. https://t.co/1joJfI5LDr
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 9, 2022
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
