Oklahoma City Thunder Will Start Carmelo Anthony at Power Forward
Basketball enthusiasts already knew the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to do this when they acquired Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks, but head coach Billy Donovan has confirmed that the perennial All-Star's going to start at the power forward position next season.
As expected, the Thunder are going to start Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson. The 10-time All-Star also told reporters that he doesn't have a problem moving to another position. Just don't ask him to come off the bench.
Anthony might have been listed as a small forward, but he has admitted that he has played a lot of minutes at the four spot throughout his career. In fact, one could argue that he was probably at his best when he played small-ball power forward for stretches during his tenure with the Denver Nuggets and the Knicks.
"I have no problem with playing the 4. I actually like that, I actually embrace that. And for this team, I think it will be better," Anthony said, via ESPN. "Playing alongside somebody like Steven Adams, who can get up on a pick, who can switch, who can guard different positions, I like that," he continued.
"It really doesn't matter at what position it is, what spot out there, as long as you fill those spots, as long as you know the offense, as long as you execute, those positions, they don't matter," he added.
Anthony will be a matchup nightmare for opposing power forwards on the offensive end of the floor, and with defensive stalwarts George, Adams and Roberson on the starting lineup, the Thunder don't have to worry about opposing teams taking advantage of Anthony's less than stellar defense.
With their roster, the Thunder are going to be fun to watch next season, and they will likely be one of the top teams in the Western Conference as well.
