NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets Regret Signing Carmelo Anthony This Summer, Per ‘The Big Lead’
The Houston Rockets entered the 2018-19 NBA season as the top favorite NBA team to challenge the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, for the Western Conference supremacy. Though they lost two of their key players — Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, in the recent free agency — the Rockets have signed Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star who looked very determined to win his first NBA championship title.
Unfortunately, as of now, the Rockets are failing to live up to expectations, currently sitting in the 12th spot in the Western Conference with a 4-7 record. The player that was supposed to be their biggest acquisition in the 2018 NBA offseason has been a huge disappointment on both ends of the floor. When Carmelo Anthony’s on the court, the Rockets rank 27th in NBA’s offensive efficiency, scoring 103.2 points per 100 possessions, and 26th in NBA’s defensive efficiency, allowing 113.8 points per 100 possessions.
When he’s off the court, the Rockets’ offense ranks 22nd, scoring 105.8 points per 100 possessions, and their defense rank seventh best in the league, allowing 105.0 points per 100 possessions. Bobby Burack of The Big Lead believes signing Carmelo Anthony is a “failed experiment” for the Rockets.
“Let’s face it, Carmelo Anthony has been terrible for the Rockets this season and the team is suffering as a result. So much so, after only a few weeks into the season, the Rockets are already contemplating if they can even go forward with him. The key in this report from Adrian Wojnarowski it that it says, ‘might still be able to.’ Translation: The Rockets know they made a huge mistake and the sooner it is over, the better.”
Rockets weighing where Carmelo Anthony fits https://t.co/NWuuFT6Aet
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) November 11, 2018
When the Rockets played against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, Carmelo Anthony was expected to establish a performance that would make his former team regret their decision to dump him this offseason. Unfortunately, when it came down to it, things didn’t go exactly as hoped. In 20 minutes of action, the 34-year-old power forward only scored two points on 1-of-11 from the field and 0-6 from beyond the arc.
Carmelo Anthony didn’t play in their recent game against the San Antonio Spurs, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the veteran forward met with the Rockets to discuss his role with the team for the rest of the season. When asked about Anthony’s role, Rockets Head Coach Mike D’Antoni referred the questions to General Manager Daryl Morey, who also didn’t give an answer.
As of now, the Rockets haven’t given any specific details about their recent meeting with Carmelo Anthony. However, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets could be planning to give Anthony fewer minutes to pave way for the return of Eric Gordon and Gary Clark.
