Melo thankful for opportunity: Greatest feeling 'was to feel wanted'

The start of Carmelo Anthony's Portland Trail Blazers tenure wasn't ideal, but postgame the 12-time All-Star felt thankful for the opportunity.

"The greatest feeling of all was to feel wanted by a group of guys who believe in me and my talent and what I can bring to the game," Anthony said, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. "It wasn’t just the players. It was the coaching staff. They really showed a strong level of belief in me and what I can still do."

Anthony started at power forward against the New Orleans Pelicans. The veteran forward didn't waste time getting on the board, hitting a 3-pointer just 1:10 into the contest on his second shot attempt.

However, Anthony would struggle for the remainder of the game on both ends of the floor. He finished with 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting in 24 minutes of play while also posting a team-high five turnovers and a game-worst minus-20 rating.

Tuesday's matchup was Anthony's first NBA game since November 2018.

The 35-year-old agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Trail Blazers earlier in the day.

Portland dropped to 5-10 on the season, and the Blazers sit only above the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.