Melo in red? Beware, Rockets
Can Chris Paul take James Harden farther than Dwight Howard ever did?
We have all next season to figure that out.
And what if you add one of the NBA’s most conflicted (and misunderstood?) stars to the Rockets’ current two point guard mix? What then?
One ball for three gold medalwinning Olympians? One common, united goal for two of the league’s premier players and a 14-year veteran who’s worn out his welcome in the only two pro cities he’s called home.
I normally prefer to leave hypothetical Twitter trades to sports’ fantasy land. But this free agency period has been even crazier than last year’s — which saw Kevin Durant discard Oklahoma City for the allure of The Bay on July 4. And Carmelo Anthony is now willing to waive his no-trade clause for two teams, according to ESPN. One of those is run by a King and has a permanent castle in the Finals. The other suddenly features a shared kingdom jointly ruled by The Beard and CP3, and is still trying to erase the semifinals stink from Game 6.
Harden, Paul and Melo: That’s one heckuva superstar trio … a few years ago.
Harden is better than ever and now has to carry less weight than ever before, thanks to his new international sidekick. Paul is still very, very good, despite all the shortcomings and turmoil in Los Angeles the past few years. Anthony? There’s no bigger question mark in the game.
And for that reason (among many) the Rockets should be very careful as they weigh their immediate and long-term futures versus the unbeatable superpower from Oakland. As is, this isn’t a great Rockets team right now. To “steal” Paul from the Clippers, general manager Daryl Morey had to give up about 18 exRockets, including the team’s best defender (long live Wolverine) and multiple 3-point options. As is, these Rockets aren’t overcoming the Warriors and will again have to fight to be a top-three team in the West. But Eric Gordon, Clint Capela, Nene, Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker, Harden and Paul clearly form a homecourt advantage eight-man rotation right now. And Morey has always excelled at adding complementary pieces around his stars — last year was the strongest proof to date. There’s some serious irony in the Rockets again flirting with Anthony, just a few years after he was briefly handed Jeremy Lin’s red No. 7. There are season tickets and new jerseys ready for the masses if Melo gives the Rockets their own Big Three. Anthony also turned 33 in May and spent the last few years residing in the NBA’s version of hell. In a perfect world, he plays his butt off for Mike D’Antoni this time around and the 2017-18 Rockets unleash an even sharper offensive attack than last year’s. In the real world, ball movement, defense, chemistry and a whole lot more will be questioned the moment that Anthony puts on red. Be careful, Rockets. You and everyone else in the Association want to discover some way to overcome the unbeatable Warriors. But one false move, and you’re just chasing old ghosts.