Episode 26 of the Sports Betting Tips podcast, featuring veteran NBA journalist Chris Sheridan, is now available. In this week’s episode, Chris speaks with Jonathan Feigen, the Houston Rockets beat writer for the Houston Chronicle. Sheridan and Feigen discuss Carmelo Anthony’s brief run with the Rockets and where Melo will go from here. Listen to the full conversation here:
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Melo Flames Out
Anthony signed a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the Rockets this offseason. But it took the organization only 10 games to decide the arrangement would not work out.
The team has decided to part ways with Melo, per multiple reports.
“He was willing to come in and be the backup to PJ Tucker, he understood that,” Feigen explained.
But, he added: “after the Rockets’ bad start, and after they laid an egg in Oklahoma City and scored 80 points, they decided, ‘OK, we’re gonna bring the rookie up, Gary Clark … Carmelo didn’t sign up to be a backup to a backup, not to mention an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract.”
Melo was playing as many as 38 minutes a night early in the season, but the team quickly cut his time down to roughly 20 minutes a game. Daryl Morey, Mike D’Antoni and company knew that number would continue to trending downward.
“The Rockets did not think that was gonna be a long-term fit with him picking up spare minutes here and there,” Feigen shared.
Melo’s Next Stage
So, what’s next for the 10-time All-Star? Feigen explained that Melo’s agent, Leon Rose, is looking for a suitor. If he finds one, the Rockets will waive Anthony.
If that doesn’t work out, Houston may trade the veteran.
“I would suspect that it won’t take that long,” Feigen said.
He added that, at this point, the 2013 scoring champion “probably just needs to go somewhere he can be Melo.”
As Chris noted, the 76ers are considering making a move for Melo, but they’re concerned he could disrupt their offensive flow. They may wait to first see how well the newly acquired Jimmy Butler fits in.
Later in the podcast, Chris and Feigen discussed Feigen’s new book, 100 Things Rockets Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, the Rockets’ championship chances, competition in the West, and more.
Listen to the full episode by hitting play above, and be sure to subscribe to Get More Sports’ podcast Sports Betting Tips with Chris Sheridan on your platform of choice.
