It’s been reported that Carmelo Anthony would be open to coming off the bench for the Houston Rockets, but he isn’t ready to give up a starting role just yet.
Only in August will the NBA world pay so much attention to something so meaningless. No, I’m not talking about the Houston Rockets adding Carmelo Anthony. Rather, I’m referring to what his role will be once he joins the team.
Whether or not Anthony will join the Rockets’ starting lineup or come off the bench has been a contentious argument throughout the NBA media.
ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski had reported that Anthony would be open to coming off the bench. However, on Tuesday the man himself told TMZ Sports that he wasn’t willing to give up the starting role just yet:
"“Let’s just let it play out! … I don’t even know what’s going on. I just signed—let it start first.”"
This will likely generate headlines, but it’s probably the right approach to take. The Rockets lost some incredibly valuable pieces in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute this summer and Anthony is a prime candidate to fill those minutes. While James Ennis may blossom into a contributor, it would be silly to gift him a role over Anthony before training camp starts.
Starting or not, the role for Anthony probably isn’t going to change a whole lot. He will be relied on to bring the threat of instant offense for about 25 minutes per game. Whether he’s scoring or not, he’s someone that defenses will account for and will close out on with the ball.
A player like Ennis likely would be preferred over a dwindling star like Anthony by the statistically minded NBA community. However the reality is that even in a diminished state, Anthony has way more gravity and respect from his peers. That can be used as a weapon if Mike D’Antoni is able to get buy-in from his roster.
This is a different team and system from when Mike D’Antoni and Carmelo Anthony were last together. Last season the Rockets split up Chris Paul and James Harden frequently and relied on isolation basketball to skewer the opposition. Having defenders stay home on Anthony will give those two stars room to operate, plus he should be able to give them isolation scoring when they need it.
Starting or not, the staggering of their stars should help D’Antoni play Anthony alongside Paul for significant stretches of the game. The team will rely on the friendship of those two players to help generate a level of buy-in and sacrifice that hasn’t been common in Anthony’s career.
The starters get the glory, but the closing lineup is often what determines the outcome. If putting Carmelo Anthony in the starting lineup helps him be happy and productive, maybe that is the best thing for the Houston Rockets. From there the team can make a decision on whether or not he should be on the floor at the end of games. If the team gives him the starting spot, he may even be more amendable to sitting at the end of games for the good of the team.
Skepticism of the Rockets this summer has been fair and warranted. However this is still a really good team that was very well coached last season. In the words of Carmelo Anthony, let’s let it play out.