Carmelo Anthony Has Had A Good Career, But Not Great

Anthony could become the only American man to ever win three gold medals in Olympic basketball. On Friday, Melo told ESPN's Marc Stein that he would consider his career great even if he doesn't win an NBA championship.

Melo should pump the brakes. He's easily had an above average career but I wouldn't say great.

First off, Anthony has always had good regular season numbers but nothing other than his scoring sticks out as a great number. He's averaged 24.9 ppg, 3.2 apg, 6.6 rpg, 1.3 stl, and shot .453% from the field.

Secondly, I realized that numbers aren't always everything but they're the only thing Melo really has to show for. Melo has made the playoffs 10 out of his 14 seasons but has only made it out of the first round two times.

In the 08-09 season, the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Then in the 12-13 season he made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals with the Knicks but lost again to the Indiana Pacers.

While I understand a lot of great players have never won a championship, it's hard to say that Melo has really tried to win a championship. Anthony has always wanted and signed large contracts that get him the most money.

He also has always enjoyed playing on a team where he can jack up as many shots as he wants. A decision I believe has kept other talented players away from joining forces with him.

I will admit it's very admirable to win three gold medals in the Olympics, but he should have three gold medals. The United States should win gold in the Olympics every year because they're that much better than everyone else, even this year with a lower level roster.

If Carmelo Anthony wasn't on the 2008 and 2012 Olympic teams, they still would have won the gold medal.

Melo has scored a lot of points in the Olympics but has also had a lot of attempts. This summer alone Anthony has 11 more attempts than anyone and has the second lowest shooting percentage of anyone who has shot at least 20 times with 44%.

In January, ESPN had Melo ranked 59th all-time and I think that is close to where he belongs. Outside of the top 50 all-time.

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