NBA
Carmelo Anthony: Why Going To The Rockets Makes Sense
Carmelo Anthony officially cleared waivers yesterday and is in line to sign a one year, $2.4 million deal with the Houston Rockets. Anthony will join a team that was a Chris Paul injury away from the reaching the NBA Finals. Last season, the Rockets won 65 games, which is the most in franchise history.
After a failed stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he posted his lowest scoring average of his career of 16.2 points per game. Some may say 16 points is not that bad, but for a caliber scorer like Anthony, he should’ve been around the 20-22 points per game mark.
What Carmelo Anthony Can Bring To The Rockets
Anthony joining the Rockets is the ideal situation for him. It’s the type of pace and system they run that will be perfect for him. The 34-year old forward will give the Rockets even more firepower on the offensive side of the floor. Despite his dip last season, James Harden is optimistic that Anthony will bring experience to the Rockets.
”It would be a great acquisition for us,” Harden said Friday. “Melo’s a proven vet. He just wants to win at this point, so it would be great for him to be on our team. The current roster we have now, we’ve got good guys back and we keep making forward progress.”
Many people are looking at Anthony as a Trevor Ariza‘s replacement. He’s not. This is a Ryan Anderson replacement but better. He can catch and shoot like Anderson but also create shots for himself.
Predictions
I expect Paul and Harden to make things easier for Anthony. Paul has known Anthony since their AAU days and their friendship grew in college. They became even closer after being teammates on the U.S. Olympic team in 2008.
Both of these guys are tremendous passers and can make Anthony more efficient. His long-range efficiency is not where it should be, but Houston’s guards could create more catch-and-shoot opportunities, where he shot 37.2% from distance last season.
I’m predicting another 60 plus win season for the Rockets, which will result into a 61-21 record. Mike D’Antoni will be coaching Anthony again, but will have no problem implementing him into his system. Most of that will be on Paul and Harden. He’s coming to a 65-win team that has two leaders ahead of him, and both fully support the coach and system.
D’Antoni will be dealing with a different Anthony compared to who he was with the New York Knicks. Can the Rockets fill the void of Anthony’s defensive weakness is the question. This is a low risk, potentially high reward type of move.
