Carmelo Anthony Says He Was About To Retire Before Signing With Blazer

Things seem to be working out between Carmelo Anthony and the Portland Trailblazers. Melo joined the Blazers last month after being out of the NBA for nine months.

He was recently named Western Conference Player of the Week for scoring 67 points in 3 games. So the old Melo appears to be back.

But the 6'8" forward said he was ready to retire from the game before joining the Blazers. He didn't play last year after being cut by the Rockets after ten games.

"I had prepared myself to kinda just walk away from the game, if the right situation didn't come about," Melo told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "I was ready to walk away. It was hard. But there came a point when I was, like, 'You know what? I've given a lot to this game. I played 15, 16 years in this game. I'm ready to give it up.' Because I just knew that at that point in time from a basketball standpoint, that narrative that it was already out there. So I'd been fighting an uphill battle anyway if I didn't go to the right situation."

The Melo comeback tour hit a bit of a snag last night, but, overall, are you surprised that Melo has been doing so well since his return?