When Carmelo Anthony joined the Houston Rockets in the summer, he supposed to be that final piece of the puzzle that would get the team over the hump called Golden State Warriors. Now three months later and after he only played 10 games for the Rockets, Melo is packing his stuff.
Houston’s general manager Daryl Morey confirmed on Thursday that the team would part ways with Anthony in the near future.
“After much internal discussion, the Rockets will be parting ways with Carmelo Anthony and we are working toward a resolution,” – said Morey in a statement. “Carmelo had a tremendous approach during his time with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D’Antoni gave him. The fit we envisioned when Carmelo chose to sign with the Rockets has not materialized, therefore we thought it was best to move on as any other outcome would have been unfair to him.”
With Carmelo Anthony in the lineup, Houston Rockets opened the season in the worst way possible, losing seven out of their first 11 games. While Melo wasn’t the only one to blame for this, Rockets felt that he didn’t fit with the team the way they wanted and started exploring other options on how the two sides could move forward.
During his brief time in Houston, Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from the 3-point line.
“In the summer, we tried to hit a home run. It didn’t work out,” – said Rockets’ coach Mike D’Antoni. “He tried everything he could. He was great while he was here. It just didn’t work out for whatever reason. I just thank him for his professionalism.”
Carmelo Anthony won’t be released immediately, since Rockets may explore the option of trading his $2.4 million contract to gain some other assets. The team might also place him on waivers and wait for another team to claim him, or for him to clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent.