Carmelo Anthony: ‘I’ve never, ever said anything about a farewell tour’

Carmelo Anthony’s trainer, Chris Brickley, said Anthony wanted a farewell tour.

Anthony on ESPN:

I’ve never, ever said anything about a farewell tour. I never even thought about a farewell tour. I’ve thought about this being my last year, but that at the time I was really emotionally vulnerable at that point in time. Now, I feel like I can still play. I know still can play. My peers know I still can play.

Maybe Anthony never said anything about a farewell tour. Brickley doesn’t speak for Anthony. The trainer could have made an assumption based on Anthony admiring Dwyane Wade’s farewell tour. Or Brickley could have projected what he wants for Anthony onto his description of what Anthony wants for himself.

Maybe Anthony spoke of a desire for a farewell tour and is just denying it now. The idea of an Anthony farewell tour was poorly received. Anthony’s career didn’t match Wade’s, and Anthony didn’t meant as much to a franchise as Wade did to the Heat. Teams considering signing Anthony might also dislike the idea of adding a player with such an individual goal.

Either way, Anthony’s answer today would look the same.

As far as Anthony’s ability to play, I’m more pessimistic than him and his peers. He looked washed up entering last season. He struggled with the Rockets and is now 35. This usually trends only downward.