Trailblazers forward Carmelo Anthony has arrived at the NBA bubble and is flaunting a dramatic weight change, resulting in a new nickname: Skinny Melo.
"Every summer, it's a different name for me," Anthony said Friday. "This summer is Skinny Melo. There's Hoodie Melo, USA Melo, there's so many different Melos out there. But at the end of the day, I'm me."
The return of Portland's big men, Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins, inspired the decision to slim down, as Anthony expects to slide down to the small forward position.
"For me, I had that in the back of my mind, once coach told me the position, that I'd be switching back to the 3," Anthony said. "I kind of challenged myself to get down to that weight where I feel comfortable with playing the 3, comfortable running around and utilizing things I can do within our system from playing the 3.
"That was a big 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 continued. "So now it puts me back in a mindset of that from a confidence standpoint, knowing that I was able to get back to that. On the court I feel good, I feel healthy. I have a lot of clarity, too. All of that was part of the plan."
One thing Anthony won't comment on is how exactly he managed to get so slim: "I can't give you that secret," he said. "But it was a very intense, very healthy diet."
[Via]
