Evan Turner On Carmelo Anthony In Portland: “As A Player, He’d Love Things”

The ongoing “Carmelo Anthonytrade” conversation can be considered more of a dull whisper at this point, as far as thePortland Trail Blazersare concerned. Despite recruitment fromDamian Lillardand social media shine fromCJ McCollum, Anthony reportedly remains solely interested in joining theHouston Rockets. Still,Marc Berman of The New York Postmilked Blazers guardEvan Turnerfor a few words on the issue, after a TBT (The Basketball Tournament) game that Turner attended.

“I can’t image Melo in Portland just because he’d stick out walking down the street — he’s Melo, a celebrity,’’ Turner said after Ohio State’s double-overtime loss to Team ALS. “As a player he’d love things. The crowd’s crazy. There’s a special crowd in Portland where if we have the right pieces, we can make a lot happen.’’

Anthony has told theKnickshe would waive his no-trade clause only for the Rockets.

“If he waives it and wants to come, it would be great,’’ Turner said. “He’ll lock in because he made the decision to come. He’s got all the power in a certain sense. It’s not a guarantee. The positive is if we did get him, that means he wanted to be there and accepted the trade and buckle into what we’re trying to do.”

Turner’s statements are par for the course. In a hypothetical where Anthony waives his no-trade clause and the Trail Blazers are able to put together a package that the Knicks want for him, yes, it makes sense that he would do well in Portland. Turner is certainly not going to say otherwise, nor does he have reason to. Anthony is a 10-time All-Star and high-level scorer that would benefit from a change of scenery. Whether or not Portland is the right scene is up for debate.

Do you think the Trail Blazers and Anthony could be a good fit? Make your case in the comments below.