Chauncey Billups: "Scoring 30 meant too much to Melo. It meant too much because he could have games where he had 20 or 22 points and we win the game and he’s mad. He might have 36 and we lose the game, but he’s in there picking everybody up. The reason why he’s not in the league — because he’s still worthy — is he hasn’t mentally taken that step back to say, ‘OK, I’ll come in and play against backups. I’ll try to help the team out. I know I might not be able to close, but I just want to help'. Well, he’s not there yet.”
Former NBA champion Chauncey Billups had an unexpected and slightly strange interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio on Wednesday that pretty much threw former Nuggets and Knicks teammate Carmelo Anthony under the bus.
The five-time All-Star nicknamed ‘Mr. Big Shot’ because of his knack for making clutch baskets while a member of the great Detroit Pistons teams of the mid-2000’s, was explaining during the brief interview why he thinks Carmelo is a currently a free agent.
Anthony, a likely first ballot Hall of Famer and 19th all-time in scoring, is the same age as LeBron James (34) but has seen a once All-Star-laden career fade into oblivion as he was cut by the Houston Rockets last season after only 10 appearances, and hasn’t been in the league since. Not only his career as a star ended, but he's basically become one of the NBA's biggest punchlines as well, as a walking NBA metaphor for ball hogs who never succeed.
With free agency having reached its climax and most teams out of cap space, it looks like Carmelo might start the season unemployed.
Check out the video below as Billups explains that Melo cared more about scoring than winning, and details why he’s not willing to accept a bench role in the NBA because he still has the no. 1 scorer mentality where he can only live with himself if he’s scoring at least 30 points. in a game.