I've said this exact same thing earlier in the season. Melo should play the GG role. Let him shoot to his heart's content. If he catches fire, great. If he's cold, just keep him on the bench. But Melo would never accept such role. Also, I think Chris Paul's leadership is a bit overrated. People seemed to assume without reservation that CP would be able to get Melo to do what was necessary for the team's success. But he was never able to get Griffin to be the kind of clutch team player he should be. In fact, I was worried that if Melo was not happy with his role and became a divisive force in the locker room, would Paul side with Melo to the devastation of the team? So far, it seems that things aren't that bad yet. I hope the management will get this resolved quickly so the team can concentrate on playing good basketball.
Asked if Anthony wants to remain on the Rockets, Morey said, "I mean, you're asking the wrong guy. Everything I can tell is yes, absolutely."
I really don't think Melo has been the problem for the Rockets' struggle on the court. He has been what we thought he would be. If the Rockets really want him gone there has to be locker room issues we don't know of.
Wow. Locker room empty already? I guess that's why the other players think he's gone already. Who we going to replace Melo with?
You were essentially saying Morey conveyed his message to the media but he is instead begging Melo to think it over? That would mean Melo is the initiator. But I am not sure that is the case. MDA started to bench him.
If I were Morey, I'd use this approach: "It's not Melo's fault. It's not his fault we missed free throws and layups. It's not his fault we lost games to bad teams. Don't blame him. It's not his fault we're not executing well on the offensive end. It's not his fault a couple people in the stands ordered Heinekens and they got Budweiser. It's not his fault and he has nothing to apologize for. That having been said, we're waiving him anyway and wish him the best of luck moving forward."
I got to give Pizza Da Hut some love just because he reminds me of this scene every time I see his handle:
Paul George George says that the reason the Rockets haven't been succeeding so far this season has nothing to do with Anthony and anybody saying that Melo is the reason for the slow start is "inaccurate."
I think a lot of people are evaluating this incorrectly. I keep seeing, "It isn't Melo's fault how the Rockets are playing". I disagree, it is partially his fault for not being a better defender and not hitting open shots. However, hitting open shots is something the Rockets have had a hard time doing, so yeah, not entirely his fault, but partially to blame. The bigger issue is the emergence of Gary Clark. Yeah, he isn't the offensive weapon that Anthony could potentially be, but damn he knows his role really well. He parks his ass in the three point line, he drives when he needs to and he plays really good defense. Due to his emergence, Melo's role would need to be diminished. I can understand the frustration with James Ennis, but overall he does play better D than Melo, and up to the SA game, he was hitting the three at a decent rate. I get that Melo is hurt over a rookie being played over him. Rockets did their diligence and probably engaged Melo regarding the role change and this is how we are where we are at. Face it, Melo doesn't want to just be a role player on this team and only play when the match ups are favorable. There was a few games prior to the SA game where Melo didn't play as much. You could see that Mike was shifting his thoughts on the line up. It's not that the Rockets are using Melo as a scapegoat, but instead, the Rockets have not been as good with Melo in there. I think Gary has a very good opportunity to be an extremely valuable role player on this team and Mike probably wants to keep getting him more experience. Clark has earned it. Sometimes players get outplayed for their positions. That is exactly what is probably happening here.
Just be glad he's no longer on your team Paul. Your GM gave away a first round pick just to get rid of him.
All of what he's saying isn't out of line; we have more issues than just Melo. The media is quick to jump on Melo and then also the organization for the team's underperformance. It's all narrative-driven; any real basketball fan following the Rockets would see the multiple holes on this team plaguing their performance that Melo should be like the 5th or 6th on the "What's wrong with the Rockets?" list of issues.
The rockets might not be upfront with the public , but they are with their players . Remember when josh smith left us because we told him that we couldn't promise him playing time ? The clippers lied to him and by the all-star break he was back with us . If Melo can't handle what we are selling then that's on Him . I think he could have fit , but if he's not willing to or able to change his mentality , we can't have any drag on the team as a whole .
Yup, pretty much. The Rockets are in a hole right now that they are trying to dig out of. And to do that, it has to be as a defensive team at the core.
