Houston Rockets: Carmelo Anthony’s last chance at NBA redemption

Carmelo Anthony got his wish and is a member of the Houston Rockets, but, at the same time, this season is his last chance at NBA redemption

Carmelo Anthony finally got his wish – one year later than he anticipated.

In the coming days, Anthony is expected to be released by the Atlanta Hawks after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder and is poised to join the Houston Rockets once he hits the open market. And while a change of scenery could benefit the veteran forward, the Rockets are Anthony’s last chance at NBA redemption.

Last season did not go as planned for Anthony and the Thunder. After acquiring the 34-year-old in a mid-September trade with the New York Knicks, the Thunder were viewed as a legitimate NBA Finals threat. With the additions of Anthony and Paul George to a rotation that already featured Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams, and Andre Roberson, among others, head coach Billy Donovan had one of the most talented rosters in the Western Conference at his disposal.

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But the Thunder failed to play up to expectations.

Playing .500 ball through the first two months of the season and being eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, the Thunder severely disappointed. A reason why they failed to play up to their potential, talent wise, was Anthony. He struggled to adapt to being the third option offensively and adjust his overall game. Anthony was always the go-to scorer in the years prior to his one-year stint with the Thunder, and he needed the ball in his hands to be effective.

He’s also been resistant towards coming off the bench, which some have concluded means he doesn’t value winning and that he can’t accept the player he is today. Averaging a career-worst 16.2 points per game on 40.4 percent shooting from the field (another career-low), the Thunder presented Anthony with a challenge he never faced.

Anthony was the third, or arguably fourth most vital player in the Thunder’s rotation last season, despite still being a productive scorer. Now, there’s little confidence in Anthony’s ability to rekindle his past heroics as he’s 34 and slowing down.

The Rockets came one game short of reaching the NBA Finals last season. But the Rockets were up 3-2 on the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and had Chris Paul not gone down with a season-ending hamstring injury in Game 5, they would’ve had a very good chance at beating the Warriors in either Game 6 or 7. Now, they’re stung with the harsh reality that they came one game away from winning the West and potentially the NBA Finals. In theory, adding a talented veteran such as Anthony should help get them over the hump if such a situation presents itself again next season.

At the same time, there’s a legitimate argument to be made that the addition of Anthony makes the Rockets worse. While they’re not as gifted offensively as Anthony, Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute were stout on-ball and perimeter defenders, and losing them to free agency signficantly hurts the Rockets frontline defense. Ariza was also in the Rockets rotation for the last four years, so they’re losing a player who became accustomed to Houston. There’s also the Clint Capela wrinkle.

Capela has established himself as one of the best centers in the game given his defensive prowess and knack for hitting the boards, but he and the Rockets are yet to reach an agreement to bring him back to Houston for the 2018-19 season. Granted he’s a restricted free agent, Capela is not a member of the Rockets for the time being, and without him, their once elite defensive unit could become one of the worst in the league. Anthony doesn’t provide them with any relief on that end of the floor.

In Houston, Anthony will be challenged and have to overcome multiple hurdles. For starters, he’ll be playing with two new ball-dominant players in James Harden and Chris Paul. Anthony always wanted to play with Paul, but with the point guard and forward at two entirely different points in their career, it’ll be interesting to see whether they can coexist and succeed with Harden operating by their side.

There’s also the presence of head coach Mike D’Antoni who coached Anthony with the Knicks back in 2012, and essentially resigned from his position due to butting heads with Anthony. Will the two, all of a sudden, be on the same page?

Anthony is going to be the third scoring option once more, which is a role he now at least has some experience with. But this is the team Anthony wanted to be traded to all along, given the potential to form a big three with Paul and Harden, the opportunity to play with Paul (who is friends with Anthony), and the chance to ultimately compete for a championship. Well, here it is, the golden opportunity has presented itself for Anthony.

Despite getting drafted and becoming the face of the Denver Nuggets, Anthony wanted out of Denver, and he got his wish, forcing a trade to the Knicks in 2011. Then, Anthony contemplated leaving the Knicks in free agency three years later, but ultimately stayed in the Big Apple because they offered him a max contract over the duration of five years which included a no-trade clause. At the time, it was a contract a player would be ill-informed to turn down.

Then, after Anthony and the roster the Knicks assembled around him failed to reach the playoffs for the first three years of his contract, the veteran wanted out once more, and the feeling was mutual. But many were behind Anthony’s motive given then-president Phil Jackson criticizing the star’s play and forcing the triangle offense on the Knicks, as a whole.

Three months later, the Knicks found a way to get Anthony out of New York, and the Thunder welcomed him with open arms. The Thunder would later be eliminated in round one of the playoffs, and Anthony wasn’t good enough to be on the floor in crunchtime in Donovan’s eyes. Now, he gets to play for the team he originally wanted to be apart of a year ago, and he can’t blow this opportunity.

Anthony is one of the best players and scorers the NBA has seen in recent memory, but his career has been defined by what ifs, excuses, and an inability to win in the playoffs. But, at the end of the day, the 2018-19 season offers him the chance to override the negative notions that have forever surrounded his game by finding success with a powerhouse Rockets team.

But it’s Anthony’s last chance to silence his critics.