A Theory on The Melo Situation

If the Knicks are so desperate to trade away Carmelo Anthony, what’s taking so long for a deal between New York and Houston to be completed?

As everyone probably knows by now, the Rockets are in pursuit of disgruntled New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.

This is undeniably exciting for Rockets fans, who at this point are hopelessly anxious for a deal to get done. Many “inside sources” coming out of New York, as well as members of the national media, claim that a deal is close to completion.

So, then, what’s the hold up? Many, including myself, have been asking this question over the past few days. If a deal is all but complete, if Anthony and the Rockets both want this dream to become a reality, and if the Knicks are hellbent on starting the season without their embattled star on the roster, then why has this trade not become official?

I am not here to talk through the specifics of salary-matching, or to speculate on who the elusive 3rd team taking on Ryan Anderson‘s albatross contract is. Of course, those details are important, and have definitely been a factor in the delay up to this point. However, I have a slightly different theory. Folks, put on your tinfoil hats and get ready to get speculative.

The Rockets want to make a splash

When Houston traded for Chris Paul, it happened with relatively little fanfare compared to other blockbuster offseason acquisitions. Everyone remembers the Miami Big 3’s pep rally, and I still remember all the photo ops that followed Boston’s 2008 acquisitions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The trade has been official for a few weeks now, yet there hasn’t been any official press conference involving Chris Paul himself. One would expect some sort of announcement, jersey-reveal, etc. This all seemed very odd to me, until Paul’s official press conference was scheduled for this Friday.

When asked about Carmelo Anthony coming to the Rockets, Chris Paul was quoted this week as telling fans to just “sit back and wait.” Our friend and father, Nene Hilario, recently posted a photo of Anthony wearing a Rockets jersey on Instagram. Literally every single hint is out in the open for our consumption, and yet there still has not been a conclusive announcement.

Does Nene know something that we don't? pic.twitter.com/AVcIHLHA1v

— Space City Scoop (@SpaceCity_Scoop) July 10, 2017

So, here’s the theory: Daryl Morey and Leslie Alexander have planned to reveal the Carmelo Anthony acquisition at Friday’s press conference. Chris Paul has been working behind the scenes with Rockets leadership to ensure success, and something has been giving the feeling that Morey wasn’t quite finished with his acquisition of Paul. Why not announce two game-changing moves at the same press conference and go down in social media history? Why not actually attempt to overload Twitter’s servers – to actually break the internet? What better way to officially start an all-out challenge of Golden State than to make a splashy entrance? Time will only tell, but that would be quite a spectacle.

Must Read: Nene adds more fuel to the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors fire

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