We all assumed it was happening from the moment reports surfaced that the Thunder were going to buyout or trade Carmelo Anthony, Melo will be donning a Rockets uniform this season.
Marc Stein of the New York Times:
“Carmelo Anthony is planning to sign with the Houston Rockets upon clearing waivers in coming days, according to two people with knowledge of his plans.
He is expected to receive a one-year deal from the Rockets at the league’s veteran minimum salary”
That will only count $1.5 million against the Rockets cap, but it will add an extra $1.8 million to Carmelo’s salary this season on top of the $27.9 million he is already earning, not a bad summer for a guy coming off of a season in which he shot 40% from the field.
While Anthony is a big name and still capable of scoring 20 points a night, he can’t do it efficiently at this point in his career and has never been able to do it off the ball, or play average NBA defense for that matter either.
He adds more talent to a loaded Rockets roster, and a starting lineup of Paul-Harden-Melo-Tucker-Capela and Eric Gordon at 6th man looks awesome on paper, the Rockets are sorely lacking the long, defensive minded players like Trevor Ariza and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute who made them so dangerous to the Warriors.
Carmelo couldn’t make it work alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George in OKC, will it be any different with James Harden and Chris Paul in Houston?
I doubt it, but time will tell.
