Anthony: ‘I felt fired by the Rockets’
Surprised he was let go in January, the 10-time All-Star says he can still play at highest level
>> LOS ANGELES: Carmelo Anthony insisted on Friday he is determined to resurrect his NBA career after the disappointment of being released by the Houston Rockets.
In an interview with ESPN’s First Take show on Friday, the 35-yearold future Hall of Famer said he hopes to land a place on a roster for the upcoming season after a period of “re-evaluating” his commitment to the sport.
“Silence is not my surrender,” Anthony said, adamant that he can still contribute at the highest level. “I know I can still play.”
Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, was let go by the Rockets in January in a trade to the Chicago Bulls. He was then waived by the Bulls on Feb 1.
Anthony said being let go by Houston, where he had been recruited to provide support for James Harden and Chris Paul, had left him “emotionally vulnerable” and teetering close to depression.
“I honestly felt that I was fired,” Anthony said. “I felt like [what] other people go through on a dayto-day basis. People get fired.”
“I felt like the game didn’t want me back at that point in time,” he added.
Anthony added that the news of his release by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey had also come as a surprise.
“He came in and basically said, ‘Look, your services are no longer needed,’” Anthony said. “I was like, ‘What? Hold up. What the hell are you talking about?’ ...You telling me I can’t make a nine, 10-man rotation on this team?’ That was an ego hit. That was a pride hit.”
Anthony joined the Rockets last year after spending the 20172018 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Prior to that, he spent six years with the New York Knicks after playing for the Denver Nuggets from 2003-2011.
Anthony, the all-time leading scorer of the US national basketball team and a member of three Olympic gold medal-winning lineups, has averaged 24.0 points and 6.5 rebounds over his career.
Meanwhile, Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson called his torn ACL, suffered in Game Six of the NBA Finals against the eventual champions Toronto Raptors in June, “obviously the most tragic part of sports,” in an in-depth interview with ESPN.
“I knew I did something,” Thompson said.
“But I’ve never had the severity of an ACL injury or an injury that bad. So me, personally, I didn’t think it was that bad, initially. My adrenaline was so high being Game Six, whatever. I thought I sprained my knee; that’s all I thought it was.
“But when I went back to the locker room, it swelled up a lot, didn’t feel right. It’s just not a good feeling when you feel helpless and the team’s out there competing.”
He is expected to make a full recovery and return to action during the second half of the 201920 season.
“I’ve heard varying opinions about, especially medically, I don’t want to rush it ‘cause I want to play until I’m 38, 39, 40 years old,” Thompson, 29, said in the interview.
“That’s my plan, especially because the way I can shoot the ball. I would love to see the floor this season. I don’t know when that is.
“It’s the pain of sports, but it’s what keeps me motivated.”
A few days before he underwent the surgery on his left knee in early July, Thompson agreed to a fiveyear, US$190 million contract to remain with the Warriors.