Feigen: Rockets want Melo off the bench, may sign with Miami

I'm confused as to why the Rockets would even approach him to come off the bench after he laughed at the idea just a few months ago.

 

It's not entirely ludicrous!

Complete tangent mode of course... but I am higher on Otto Porter than most in the NBA. I think the view on him changed when he signed that huge contract.

John Wall is Westbrook-esque to me. Sure he picks up assists, but I don't know... it just doesn't seem team-friendly.

Would you do Porter + Kief Morris for Eric Gordon + Ryan Anderson??

I'd seriously think about it. Small ball of CP3, Harden, Porter, Tucker, Morris. Capela to go big. Gerald Green in place of EG off the bench. Who knows what MCW will give you.

 

There's no confirmation the Rockets said anything about the bench though that was just speculation.

 

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ity-thunder-meeting-other-teams-prior-parting

LAS VEGAS -- In advance of an inevitable - if not imminent - parting, the Oklahoma City Thunder granted Carmelo Anthony permission to meet with prospective teams, including the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat, league sources told ESPN.

Anthony and his representatives met with Rockets and Heat officials at the site of the NBA Summer League in recent days, league sources told ESPN.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti and Anthony's agent, Leon Rose of CAA Sports, have been working cooperatively to expedite a separation with the Thunder.

The Rockets meeting included coach Mike D'Antoni, who had a turbulent relationship with Anthony as New York Knicks coach. D'Antoni made it clear to Anthony that he thinks the circumstances together would be far different in Houston, and welcomed the idea of coaching Anthony again, league sources said.

The Thunder are working on trade scenarios where Anthony, 34, would be moved as an expiring contract and be waived, becoming a free agent once his $27.9 million 2017-18 salary clears waivers. Oklahoma City needs Anthony's permission to waive his no-trade clause, which he has done to facilitate his exit, league sources said.

Anthony's contract makes trade possibilities less likely than simply executing the NBA's waive and stretch provision on his contract, which would save the Thunder over $100 million. That would spread his salary cap hit equally at $9.3 million over three years.

The Rockets lost forward Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency, clearing the way for a greater opportunity to impact the Rockets. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra has been a strong advocate of signing Anthony, who could play a major role for the Heat at power forward.​

 

morey would have paid Luc if melo wasnt coming. especially after his meeting

 

lol

 

Let's hope and pray it is true though =D

 

LOL

just warming up. ariza isn't even here and rockets still dont want him to start.

of course rational people knew this though

 

Good point.

 

I don't think it matters if he starts or doesn't. He'd be playing 30ish minutes a game either way. He'll be in place to chuck up a ton of shots, probably wide open shots if CP is feeding him on the 2nd unit. He's got his money.

What's the problem Carmelo?

 

What did you say bad about Pat Riley?

 

We're going to look like fools if we blow this.

Lost Ariza, lost Luc, preserved the MLE with the idea we were going to use it on somebody useful. It's pretty clear the guy we're targeting for that is Melo.

Now that's looking like an uncertainty.

What happens if/when he picks Miami? What do we do with the MLE and down two rotation pieces?

James Ennis? Okay, that's one...[gulp]. I'm keeping an open mind, though.

Does our plan, at that point, become to sign both Ennis and either Graham or Nunnally?

 

When you say Houston, do you mean the team as it is currently constructed or as you hope or expect it to look by November? If you mean as is currently is; the gap is much bigger than it is between Boston and Toronto/Philly.

I included Miami with an "if they added the right pieces" caveat.

 

Bc a defense wont be nearly as good enough as it needs to be with both melo/harden playing big minutes together

 

Pray? I'm not wasting good prayers on stuff like this lol

 

The bench comment is interesting, and I think it relays two critical points for the Rockets:

1) They want to keep PJ at the 4. While he can effectively play the 3, his best spot is at the 4, where he can be a menace inside. Moving him to the 3, which would imply that they don't intend to add more 3&D wings, could also limit our opportunities to play the Tuckwagon lineup.
2) They want to limit the amount of time Harden and Melo play together. I think this was a big reason why Tucker supplanted Anderson mid-year.

If Melo will accept this role, I love the potential of our 2nd unit between CP3, Gordon and Melo.