well we do know they had prior conversations about what to expect as far as his role here in the summer months. Both sides apparently signed off on it. But when it came time to actually play it obviously didn't fit anywhere near as they would of liked. They needed guys to fill the role/gaps left behind by the likes of ariza/moute. Doing the clark/ennis things to help the team. Not another dimension of a harden or cp3. The rockets are going to play the way they have been which provided much success a year ago and well melo is going to be who he is which wasn't necessary a good thing. Both sides just made the mistake of realistically expecting something from each other. Rotational players have flaws but they find some way to contribute. Those dynamics don't really exist at this current stage of melo. They took a risk, it backfired. Rockets will be just fine in the end.
finally i can watch some games, can't bear watching another Ryan replacement that can't defend anybody
Anyone able to link me any insider info on the subject of what happened. I mean I love reading everyone's ransom ass take and all....
The whole Carmelo saga reminds me of that part in Master & Commander when the crew starts saying that one officer is a "Jonah" because he's keeping the wind away, everyone else says nah that's just superstition he's a good guy, then the officer kills himself and the moment his funeral ends the wind suddenly fills the sails.
The Rockets made an effort to try to make it work with Carmelo. The new players, the injuries, suspension, slow start and digging themselves into a hole, 1-5, 4-7.....all of those factors made the Rockets have less patience to find the right rotation and fit. Sometimes things are not meant to be. On July 7th of this summer I wrote my thoughts on the Rockets adding Carmelo. Reposted below. I was mixed. But I think I was on point. And my aside about wanting to get younger at the 3/4 meshes well with the emergence of Gary Clark.
only 16 pages when melo is officially not going to play. That's disappointing compared to the countless summer threads every single day
.....and just like that, the Rockets updated their Facebook page header, subbing out Melo for Eric Gordon. https://www.facebook.com/houstonrockets/
bc he's best friends with CP3 and CP3 probably had a lot to do with convincing morey and MDA to move forward with him. but notice that even CP3 doesn't seem shook up about his departure... wonder why? probably bc he knows melo isn't about winning, he was simply hoping that by bringing him onboard he could help convince him to adapt. and then he quickly learned that melo ain't changing.
This was a good read. an excerpt on WHEN the decision was made. On Nov. 9, the decision to let Anthony go had been made. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey met with Anthony that day in San Antonio to give him the bad news, a source said. Anthony took the news like a “punch in the gut,” but remained professional, a source said. Before departing from the Rockets for good, Anthony spoke to Lucas, who has mentored NBA players for decades. Lucas had even told his son, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach John Lucas III, that it was time for him to retire at age 34 from the NBA because he wasn’t good enough anymore. Lucas said he had a heart-to-heart conversation with Anthony about the keys to succeeding in the NBA as an elder statesman. “The ego of wanting and ego with the game is hard,” Lucas said. Perhaps it was for the best. Could you really see Anthony getting consistent DNP-CDs? Could you see Anthony playing just five minutes? That would have been the case had he stayed. It was bad enough that he lost his spot in the rotation to an undrafted two-way player in Gary Clark. Moreover, Anthony was asked to come off the bench after starting the first 1,054 games of his career. The Rockets believed that if the popular star got DNPs and low minutes, it could have resulted in a distracting media fascination daily, a source said. Sources added that D’Antoni felt pressure to play the six-time All-NBA selection just because of his superstar status. The Rockets are 3-1 since moving on from Anthony. “He has such a big shadow, a big name that gets a bad rap,” Lucas said of Anthony. “It’s not him. It’s his aura. He could have accepted any role. But thing is, when you get to be an older pro, you get caught up in the business of basketball and the game of basketball. “So, when your career starts to wind down, i.e., Karl Malone, i.e., Gary Payton, i.e., a lot of greats who begin to move around, you figure out how important that it is. You’re not going to get better in two weeks, you’re going to get older in two weeks. It’s a young guy’s league.”
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article221706600.html Though the Heat has been mentioned as a possibility for Houston’s soon-to-be released Carmelo Anthony (and can’t be discounted until he signs somewhere), keep in mind that the Heat’s meeting with him in July in Las Vegas came about only because Anthony requested it, not because the Heat was aggressively pursuing him. There are some Heat basketball people who don’t especially like the fit, especially with Miami trying to get its defense back on track and a rotation crowded enough as it is.
Several NBA stars such as James and Dwyane Wade wondered if Anthony was the Rockets’ scapegoat for the team’s poor start. But for anyone listening, the Rockets coaches and executives strongly state that Anthony was professional and willing to accept any role. On Nov. 9, the decision to let Anthony go had been made. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey met with Anthony that day in San Antonio to give him the bad news, a source said. Anthony took the news like a “punch in the gut,” but remained professional, a source said. _____ Good to know Anthony wasn't acting like a diva and it really was just a square peg situation - I wish him luck.
so if we win the championship this season and melo ended still being with the team..can we call him a NBA champ still?
