The Rockets should sign Carmelo Anthony, but only under these conditions

By Tevin Williams

Jul 7, 2018

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 07: PJ Tucker #4 of the Houston Rockets defends Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half at Toyota Center on April 7, 2018 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

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MIAMI, FL – APRIL 09: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder on the bench during the game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on April 9, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

3. Carmelo has to be willing to come off of the bench if asked

Carmelo Anthony could start for Houston, but its unlikely that the Rockets would guarantee him a starting role. Houston played better when they swapped Ryan Anderson, a great shooter but terrible defender, for P.J. Tucker at power forward.

In the past, Melo wasn’t willing to come off of the bench, as noted by Royce Young.

Melo asked about possibly coming off the bench: "I'm not sacrificing no bench role. So that's out of the question."

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 28, 2018

But Anthony’s attitude towards coming off of the bench could change. With Houston, Anthony would be playing on a more talented team that has proven they’re legitimate contenders. The Thunder never had a shot at competing for a championship, so its understandable that he wasn’t willing to take a back seat on a team that was barely above average.

With Anthony and Eric Gordon leading the second unit, the Rockets would have two legitimate scoring threats coming off of the bench. Also, keep in mind that either James Harden or Chris Paul is on the floor at all times. With this much firepower, Houston’s offense could be even more potent than it was last season.

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