Ranking Carmelo Anthony’s Best Trios

 

Carmelo Anthony has had a really successful career since being the #3 pick in 2003. He will enter year 19 as a member of the Lakers, where he will be joined with his best group of teammates to date with Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.

It’s a shame that Anthony has only appeared in one Conference Finals, considering he has been part of some really good teams, with some great complimentary players.

Let’s take a look at the best trios that Anthony has been a part of throughout his basketball career (excluding All Star/Olympics).

Honorable mentions:

Anthony/Kristaps Porzingis/Derrick Rose (2016-17 Knicks)

After three years without a playoff appearance, the Knicks hired Jeff Hornacek and acquired Derrick Rose with the goal of returning to the postseason. Instead a trio with so much potential, failed as the Knicks finished 31-51. Porzingis broke out, averaging 18 ppg, while Rose went AWOL at one point and played just 64 games. Anthony played 74 games and averaged 22 ppg as he played his final season in NY.

Anthony/James Harden/Chris Paul (2018-19 Rockets)

Anthony played 10 games with the Rockets and this trio was only together for 5 of them as Paul missed 2 games in the beginning and Harden missed 3 due to injury. It was clear early that the Harden/Melo isolation tandem wasn’t going to work and the Rockets essentially deactivated Anthony and banished him for the rest of the season.

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A lot of Carmelo Anthony’s career is “what could have been”. What if he was drafted by the Pistons? What if he waited a few months to sign with the Knicks as a free agent? What if he was traded to the Nets instead? Or what if he signed with the Bulls in 2014? How different could Melo’s career, and the NBA landscape have been?

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10. Anthony/Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum (2019-2021 Blazers)

This trio lost in the first round of the playoffs back-to-back years – as an 8 seed in 5 games to Lakers in 2020 and as a 6 seed in 2021 to the Nuggets. In two seasons with Portland, Anthony averaged just 14.3 ppg, while shooting 43% from the field and 40% from three. In 2021, Anthony played 24 minutes per game – 11 under his career average of 35 mpg.

9. Anthony/Paul George/Russell Westbrook (2017-18 Thunder)

Anthony was traded by the Knicks to the Thunder one month before the 2017 season, and a couple of months after OKC acquired Paul George, to pair the two All Stars with reigning MVP Russell Westbrook.

16.2 ppg was Melo’s lowest in career at that point, despite playing (and starting) 78 games and averaging over 30 minutes per game. Thunder lost in 6 games to the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs and OKC and Anthony moved on after the season.

8. Anthony/Amare Stoudemire/Chauncey Billups (2010-11 Knicks)

Knicks traded all their picks and prospects to get Melo and Billups. Anthony played all 27 games, and Billups played 21 after the trade from Denver in 2011 and the Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Stoudemire, who was signed as a free agent during the summer of 2010, and Anthony were expected to be the 1-2 punch that took the Knicks to the next step but that never happened. Billups’ role in the trio didn’t last long.

7. Anthony/Amare Stoudemire/Tyson Chandler (2011-12 Knicks)

After the 2011 season, Knicks ditched Billups and signed free agent Tyson Chandler to join Melo and Amare.

This was a WEIRD year for the Knicks and everyone involved. Stoudemire played just 47 games due to injury and personal reasons. Anthony missed time with injuries, playing a career-low (at the time) 55 games.

The real Knicks trio that at one point emerged, was Jeremy Lin/Landry Fields/Steve Novak. Like 2011, the Knicks lost in the first round of the playoffs.

6. Anthony/Allen Iverson/Kenyon Martin (2007-08 Nuggets)

That season, this trio combined to average 64.5 ppg, 16.9 rpg, 11.8 apg. Ultimately, the Nuggets were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Kobe and the Lakers, but their 50 wins were the franchise’s most since 1988

5. Anthony/Andre Miller/Marcus Camby – 2003-04 Nuggets

Prior to being drafted in 2003, Nuggets had missed the playoffs 8 straight seasons, last appearing in 1995 and last winning a series in 1994. Andre Miller signed a 6 year contract in the summer of 2003 and Marcus Camby, the #2 overall pick in 1996, was traded to the Nuggets the year prior to Melo’s arrival, for Antonio McDyess.

Anthony led the Nuggets in scoring, averaging 21 ppg as a 19 year old. Miller averaged 14.8 ppg and 6.1 apg. Both men started all 82 games. Camby started 72, averaging 8.6 ppg but 10.1 rpg and 2.6 bpg.

Nuggets made the playoffs, but lost to the Timberwolves, 4-1, in round 1.

4. Anthony/Allen Iverson/Marcus Camby 2006-2007 Nuggets

Iverson was acquired halfway through the 2006-07 season in a trade for Andre Miller. In year one, Iverson averaged 24.8 ppg, while Anthony scored a career-high 28.9 ppg.

Camby averaged 11.0 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.3 bpg and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

3. Anthony/JR Smith/Raymond Felton – 2012-13 Knicks

This is an odd trio, huh? Amare Stoudemire played just 29 games and the Knicks put together a very random, but very fun roster in 2013.

In the 2013 playoffs, Knicks won their first series since 2000, knocking off the Celtics in 6 games. That makes this trio and this team special, considering it was just the second time (and the last time, to-date) that Melo won a playoff series.

Anthony and Smith played together in Denver from 2006-2011 (half way through) and Felton was actually part of the package of players traded to the Nuggets for Anthony in 2011. In 2013, Smith was named Sixth Man of the Year, averaging a career-high 18 ppg.

2. Anthony/Kenyon Martin/Chauncey Billups – 2008-09 Nuggets

This was the most successful NBA team Anthony has been on. These Nuggets finished second in the West, going 54-28 (tied for the most wins Melo had).

A few games into the season, Nuggets traded Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups. Billups would go on to average 17.9 ppg and 6.4 apg. Billups, along with Martin, were major reasons why the Nuggets won their first playoff series since 1994. Denver would knock off the New Orleans Hornets in round one, then the Mavs in round two, before finally losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

2009 was Melo’s only appearance in the conference finals round.

This trio would stick together in 2009-10 and the start of 2010-11 season.

1. Anthony/Hakim Warrick/Gerry McNamara – 2002-03 Syracuse

Okay, I cheated. I never said NBA trios, I just said Melo’s trios. Clearly, none were better than this.

Syracuse won the 2003 National Championship, led by the freshman Anthony. He scored 22.2 ppg and grabbed 10 rpg. Sophomore Hakim Warrick averaged 14.8 ppg and 8.5 rpg and fellow freshman Gerry McNamara averaged 13.3 ppg and 4.4 apg (lead the team). All three men started all 35 games, playing over 32 mpg.