if we are looking for shooters that play no defense, bring in Fredette. Dude dropped 75 in China. If melo is leaving, I'd give it a shot
I think the Rockets are simply waiting to release him until he finds another team. They are trying to help him save face. Bad enough to get waived. But to get waived and not be able to find a job right away? Yikes.
http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/25252265/kevin-pelton-houston-rockets-carmelo-anthony After less than four weeks, teammates and members of the coaching staff believe Carmelo Anthony has played his final game for the Houston Rockets, according to a report by ESPN's Tim MacMahon. How did Melo's time in Houston sour so quickly? And will shedding Anthony help the slumping Rockets, who have started 5-7 after winning 65 games and reaching last season's Western Conference finals, get back on track? Let's take a look at what went wrong and what's next for Houston. Rockets struggled to defend with Melo As MacMahon has pointed out, Houston's defensive slippage this season can be traced directly to the minutes Anthony has spent on the court. With him on the bench, the Rockets have allowed 104.5 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass' tracking -- slightly fewer than the 105.8 they allowed last season, which ranked sixth in the league. With Melo, Houston's defensive rating has ballooned to 114.1 points per 100 possessions, which would rank 27th. Naturally, over such a small sample this can't be attributed solely to Anthony. The Rockets have been even worse defensively (122.5 points per 100 possessions) with Michael Carter-Williams on the court, for example, and they teamed up for about a quarter of Melo's minutes. Surprisingly, Second Spectrum tracking suggests Anthony's ability to switch in Houston's preferred defensive scheme hasn't really been an issue. The Rockets have allowed more points per chance on switches with Melo on the bench (1.0 points per chance) than on the court (0.93), and that figure drops all the way to 0.87 points per chance when Anthony was defending the screener -- better than highly regarded switch defender P.J. Tucker (1.04 points per chance). In all likelihood, the samples are too small (Anthony switched while defending the screener 78 times) to draw any meaningful conclusions, but Anthony getting roasted on switches wasn't the reason Houston struggled defensively during his minutes. Instead, the Rockets fouled more frequently, forced fewer turnovers and were less effective on the defensive glass. No early sign of "Olympic Melo" Some defensive drop-off with Anthony was to be expected. Unfortunately, Houston didn't benefit from his presence at the other end, scoring only marginally better with Anthony on the court (102.7 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass) than on the bench (101.9) -- a huge change from Melo's long track record of making his team's offense far more efficient. Alongside James Harden and Chris Paul, Anthony was playing a smaller role in the Rockets' offense than ever before, finishing a career-low 20.4 percent of the team's plays while on the court -- down from 23.2 percent during his lone season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the long-anticipated return of the efficient "Olympic Melo" failed to materialize over his short time in Houston, as Anthony saw his 3-point percentage drop from 35.7 percent last season to 32.8 percent so far this season. Doing little to juice the offense, and already a liability on defense, Melo surely was set to lose his rotation spot with Eric Gordon's return to the lineup on Saturday. With fewer minutes to go around, Mike D'Antoni apparently chose undrafted Gary Clark over Anthony because of Clark's superior defensive versatility. A post player at Cincinnati, Clark has adapted nicely to defending wings, making him ideal in a switching defense. The Rockets have a plus-1.1 net rating with Clark on the court, best of any Houston player who hss seen at least 100 minutes of action, according to NBA Advanced Stats. While it's possible Anthony could have helped in the case of further injuries to the Rockets' three high-scoring guards, the team ran the risk of him moping on the bench. So it appears Houston will quickly move on from the Melo era. Rockets still need to find more offense Waiving Anthony won't solve Houston's offensive issues. Far from it. As noted, the Rockets were scoring slightly more efficiently with Melo on the bench, and their 107.4 offensive rating in splitting two games this weekend without him was right at league average -- a huge drop-off from an offense that was neck and neck with the Golden State Warriors for the league lead in efficiency a season ago. However, playing better defense could help Houston stay afloat while hoping Chris Paul can get back on track after a poor shooting start as he battles tendinitis in his right elbow. The Rockets would also clear a roster spot by waiving Anthony, giving them 13 players on full NBA contracts. One of the two remaining spots is surely earmarked for Clark, who is quickly burning through the 45 allotted days of service on his two-way deal and will undoubtedly get an NBA contract at that point. With Gerald Green struggling from beyond the arc (he's at 25.9 percent so far this season), Houston could look to fill the other spot with another floor spacer on a non-guaranteed contract that would give the Rockets flexibility leading up to the trade deadline and buyout season. A trade involving backup center Marquese Chriss appears a likely option with Chriss falling behind rookie Isaiah Hartenstein in the center rotation. Houston could either trade Chriss in a salary dump to cut the team's luxury-tax bill or use him as an expiring contract in a deal for immediate bench help. Whatever the next move is, expect Rockets GM Daryl Morey to be active in an effort to right the ship. Houston has invested heavily in winning now, and moving on from Anthony would be only the first indication that results so far have been unsatisfactory.
This sucks. I really wanted Melo to work with us. How fitting would it have been for Harden, CP3, & Melo to win that elusive championship together after all being criticized and doubted all these years
He won't be making the trip to Denver. Yes the written is on the wall. Wow this just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
There’s no one to blame here. Carmelo hasn’t been good and hasn’t been the right fit. We are giving him the opportunity to move on. There’s no apparent bad blood either way other than media or fans trying to create a story.
As much as I want to blame someone hell anyone for how we started the season I can't bring myself to blame Melo. This is on Morey imo. He chased Melo for years despite his age, lack of fit, and reluctance to accept a bench role in the final chapter of his career. Sometimes you get what you ask for.
To be fair to Melo and the Rockets... The stories had already been written. It wasn't a wait and see situation for them but more a "when it happens I am ready". Just waiting to jump all over it. Collateral damage is just anyone who gives any inkling of a chance to a Melo the media and observers (and CF'ers) that say that Melo is no good no matter where he goes. I shudder to think how this could have turned out if only HALF of the naysayers would have sent out ANY kind of positivity from the start. Just general good vibes. Coming to CF for that though, Ha. Clutchfans is gonna Clutchfans.
The way players are jumping on the bandwagon as though the Rockets are treating him so poorly/disrespectfully is really annoying. Nobody is interested in the truth when the narrative is more entertaining, especially when it comes to this team.
The people saying there is no risk with Melo on vet min salary, are finding it out the hard way. Where there is Melo, there is always drama.
Waiving Melo would be a major mistake Esp if done before the Trade Deadline This season is not totally Melo's fault and trading him won't be what makes it right If players are refusing to try unless Melo is gone. . . THOSE PLAYERS ARE A F*CKING PROBLEM and should be traded in the off season Rocket River
"Main-Mello-Manothy-BronBron-Infinity-Champions-Has-Been-Cuuuuutttttt......" Said like MT's Sad-PA announcer...
Serious question. Have you read Feigen and McMahon's reporting abt what's happening? I feel like there's no way you could and still come away with this take.
As the season began, I was wondering if the Rockets would have the guts to quickly move on from Melo if the chemistry just wasn't there. Either by benching him or waiving him. I guess the answer is yes, they will do what's best for the team. I was wondering because Melo and Paul are so tight. I'm glad that this is happening now instead of waiting another month or two. Let's get this straightened out as soon as possible.
