Brett Davis/Associated Press
Here is how strange the first month of the N.B.A. season has been: The Portland Trail Blazers, who have done O.K. offensively but poorly on defense, turned to Carmelo Anthony to solve their problems this week. They offered him a starting job right out of the gate, even though he is not known for defensive prowess and hasn’t played well in years.
There are scores of injured star players. Several teams that are usually in the playoff race have some of the worst records in the league. There is a player (James Harden) averaging nearly 40 — 40!