Anthony in the mix? This time, it could work
Déjà vu is happening in Houston this summer.
At this time last year, the same conversation was taking place after the Rockets signed Chris Paul, and rumor had it that Carmelo Anthony would be next.
Anthony instead ended up in Oklahoma City but now looks to be on the way out of the Sooner State.
And once again, the Rockets are a front-runner to land the future Hall of Famer.
During an NBA summer league game Sunday, Anthony’s business manager was spotted chatting with some of the Rockets’ contingent in Las Vegas.
There are plenty of reasons that Melo coming to the Rockets might be a bad idea. Most of them have to do with his de-
fense, which leaves a lot to be desired.
And with the losses of Luc Mbah a Moute, who is headed to the Los Angeles Clippers, and veteran Trevor Ariza, who signed with the Phoenix Suns, the Rockets’ defense has taken a big hit this offseason.
Adding Anthony won’t help with the defensive deficit.
But the fact remains — the Rockets are down two forwards, and Anthony would be a good addition. And just as before, Anthony appears to fit in with how the Rockets play.
Good fit for iso schemes
Of course, the biggest question heading into last season was whether there would be enough basketballs to go around with Chris Paul and James Harden on the same team.
Add Anthony, the other king of isolation ball, to that mix, and there really might be some issues. That would be true on a lot of teams but not the Rockets.
Remember, Mike D’Antoni embraces iso ball. The Rockets ran 46 isos in a Western Conference finals game in May — the most by any team in the last five years.
Paul and Harden already do this, and Anthony fits into that style.
Most of the touches go to Harden, but Paul and Anthony are great isolation players and can take some of those while Harden gets a breather. Anthony is a veteran player and should be mature enough to make it work.
Anthony’s speciality is and always has been putting the ball in the basket, and D’Antoni is the best coach in the NBA when it comes to facilitating that specialty.
When thinking about how Anthony could fit with the Rockets, consider what he looked like playing for Team USA during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Surrounded by star players and prolific scorers like Kevin Durant and Paul George, Anthony was able to go back to being a spot-up shooter like he was when he was the best player in the country in 2003 when he and Syracuse won the NCAA Tournament.
Anthony still handles the ball well. He is capable of drawing defenders and breaking through zones. He still is effective with the ball in his hands at crunch time.
Iso ball didn’t work well in Oklahoma City, but it does work well in Houston.
D’Antoni has created an offensive system that has plenty of freedom, lots of spacing and a tempo that lights up the scoreboard.
It’s perfect for a player like Anthony.
He is savvy enough to get into the Rockets’ spacing schemes, and he can fill multiple roles on a team that features interchangeable offensive pieces in a league that is gravitating toward position-less basketball.
It wouldn’t be perfect, and it would take time. And Anthony would have to make a few adjustments.
Can the past be overcome?
There still remains the elephant in the room.
Anthony played for D’Antoni when D’Antoni coached the New York Knicks, and it wasn’t all hearts and butterflies. In fact, D’Antoni said he resigned from coaching the Knicks because of Anthony.
But at the end of the day, D’Antoni is the coach. Anthony would have to accept that fact and respect it. If star players like Harden and Paul can do it, so can Anthony.
We all have played witness to what happens when everyone buys in to D’Antoni’s system. Anthony should be able to look at the Rockets and see that there is a chance to win an NBA title with this team.
If he buys in, he could help them win it.
If everyone will behave as adults, this becomes a nonissue.
The Washington Post reported that D’Antoni said he “would be fine” with Anthony on the Rockets. And Anthony is going to be fine where he fits in and will do well.
Still, Anthony would have to embrace his role with the Rockets. He would be the third option and sometimes the fourth, depending on Eric Gordon. Once again, see Team USA at the 2016 Rio Summer Games. Anthony knew his role and embraced it. And he thrived.
Again, Anthony doesn’t provide much in the way of defense. P.J Tucker and Paul are the two major defensive stalwarts the Rockets have on the roster. One of the main reasons for their success last season was that they had an array of defenders who could guard any position.
Anthony cannot. The Rockets will have to address that need before the offseason ends if they still want to be a contender.
While some of the conversations are the same this year, the outcome could be different.
And if Anthony ends up in a Rockets uniform this time around, it could be a good thing for all parties involved.