Much-needed victory takes a back seat to Melo drama
The Rockets came out clicking Sunday night.
Chris Paul looked a lot like the guy in whom they invested $160 million. James Harden was in MVP form, and at times, Clint Capela was giving Indiana’s defense fits.
The Rockets finally found their offense and looked like a much better team than the one that dropped games to Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the last few days. They weren’t perfect. A 76-point first half was impressive, but the Rockets scored just 13 points in the final quarter.
But a win is a win. And the Rockets needed one.
In the midst of their 115-103 victory over the Pacers, however, something was missing. Well, someone anyway.
Carmelo Anthony missed his second consecutive game with illness. His absence came at the same time several reports about his status on the team were flying around.
Thus, what was happening on the court was sadly overshadowed by what is or is not happening off it. Rumors swirling about Anthony’s standing with the Rockets were the talk of Toyota Center on Sunday.
The Melo drama surrounding the Rockets isn’t the team’s biggest problem right now. But
it’s a distraction the team doesn’t need on top of shooting slumps, defensive inconsistency and a turnstile of injuries.
Sunday night was a step in the right direction. If the Rockets can put together another performance like that on Tuesday at Denver, it could do a lot for their confidence before they host reigning champion Golden State on Thursday night.
The quickest way to diverge from the drama is to win. The 5-7 Rockets haven’t done enough of that this season, so this week is key for a team searching for answers.
In the meantime, the front office needs to deal with whatever is going on with Anthony.
Before Sunday night’s outing, general manager Daryl Morey stood in front of a media scrum to take questions, which isn’t a standard occurrence.
Morey admirably faced the rumors head-on. Reports emerged the night before when the Rockets were in San Antonio and then again hours before they hosted the Pacers on Sunday that Anthony’s status in Houston was in question. One report claimed the Rockets had informed Anthony his days in Houston were coming to an end soon.
Morey insisted Anthony was very much still a part of the team and that when he was healthy, he would return. He also called the rumors and speculation surrounding Anthony “unfair.”
“He's been great with us,” Morey said. “As Coach (Mike D’Antoni) said (Saturday), his approach has been great. He's accepted every role Coach has given him — starting, off the bench, whatever it’s been.”
Morey went on to say that he was evaluating the whole underperforming team.
“We’re struggling as a team, and it’s my job, it’s Coach’s job, to figure this thing out,” Morey said. “We've just got to figure it out. We’re evaluating everything.”
It’s possible that by Monday afternoon, Anthony will be gone. It’s also possible he rejoins the team this week and plays during this crucial stretch while the Rockets try to turn things around.
His role has never been clearly defined. That’s not Anthony’s fault. It’s also not D’Antoni’s or Morey’s.
Because of injuries to several key players (Harden, Eric Gordon) and Paul’s early suspension, the Rockets failed to get rotations set.
Anthony has started. He’s come off the bench. He’s played anywhere from 20 minutes against Oklahoma City to 39 against Utah.
He’s been inconsistent. So has everyone else.
It’s impossible to place blame solely on Anthony this season. As a whole, the Rockets just haven’t been the team they set out to be.
He might be a problem, but he isn’t the problem.
“Our problem is we can’t shoot the basketball,” D’Antoni said before Sunday’s game, when, incidentally, the Rockets shot really well in the first half. “We've got to fix that. We’ve got to start winning and get back on track and focus on the main thing.
“Winning and losing — it’s definitely not his fault. I don't know if it’s even related, the two. This is just something that (Morey) is exploring his options, and they’ll work it out. But definitely unfair to (Anthony).”
Anthony’s teammates didn’t have much to say about the rumors. Gordon, Harden and Paul all complemented Anthony and reiterated that he isn’t the Rockets’ problem.
“Melo has been great here,” Paul said. “I don’t know what’s being said and whatnot, but Melo has been great. He’s working hard every day, so we will see what happens.”
Morey and D’Antoni need to stay diligent on looking at the team’s problems and figuring out how to fix them.
And whatever is happening with Anthony needs to happen quickly. The distraction and drama is looming, and it’s not doing anyone involved any good.
The Rockets looked better Sunday night. Much better. Bottling up that energy, that effort and that offense and bringing it back to the court this season is what the focus needs to be.
A good way to change the narrative, squash rumors and move forward is to win.
If the Rockets can do more of that, they’ll see a shift.
Until they do so consistently, the Anthony situation will be the main topic of conversation.