There are many different versions of Carmelo Anthony, but as photos and videos appeared during the first week of practice for the Portland Trail Blazers in Orlando, Florida, a new version emerged: Skinny Melo.
“Every summer is a different name for me,” said Anthony on Friday. “This summer is Skinny Melo. There’s Hoodie Melo, USA Melo, there are so many different Melos out there. But at the end of the day, it’s me.”
It’s actually “Olympic Melo,” but we’ll forgive Anthony for making a mistake with his own nickname.
Anthony is remarkably slimmed down for his looks throughout the season, and was sparked by a change in position anticipated by the returns of great men Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins. Anthony has been starting as a power forward for Portland, continuing the position he adjusted to play for Oklahoma City. But with the Blazers returning to two other starters for the NBA restart, Anthony is down one place to the position he played for most of his career.
“For me, I had that in mind, once the coach told me the position that he would come back at 3,” Anthony said. “I challenged myself to drop to that weight where I feel comfortable playing 3, running comfortable and using things I can do within our system when playing 3.”
“That was a great motivation for me to come back at that exact weight, or around that weight, 230, 235. I haven’t seen 230, 235 since early, early in my career,” he said. “So now it puts me back into that mindset from a confidence standpoint knowing I could get back to that. On the court I feel good, I feel healthy. I am also very clear. All of that was part of the plan.”
Anthony, 36, said he experimented with a few things in his diet and modified some of his workouts and workouts during the hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic. But for anyone looking for a new diet to try, Anthony was not sharing the products.
“I can’t give you that secret,” he said. “But it was a very intense and very healthy diet.”
He said he hasn’t actually lost that many pounds overall, just around five total, and called it more of a redistribution of his weight while reducing body fat.
“I told him it looks like he lost weight, but he didn’t lose as many pounds,” said guard CJ McCollum. “It’s more like turning some of the fat into muscle and leaning out. But it’s always the same weight; it’s just carrying it differently. So when you have those little stockings and the muscle shirt looks slimmer but it’s moving well, you’re in good shape and ready. “
With forward Trevor Ariza not making the trip to Orlando, Anthony became the natural choice to enter the small forward position. He hasn’t played it since his days in New York, but Anthony has spent the past few weeks saying it won’t be a big change because he knows the position, and now he sees basketball as just another game with no position. Still, cutting is something that could benefit him on the defensive end, an area of trouble for Anthony as he ages.
“I can definitely tell the difference,” he said.
But in terms of Skinny Melo’s nickname, he’s good at it.
“I take it as a compliment,” he said. “I take it as a testament to the work I have done, just the extreme approach I have had in the past two months.”
As for the next version?
“I was about to say something, but I can’t,” he said with a smile. “We will first go through this bubble and I will let you know. I will keep you informed.”
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