In an appearance on The Old Man and the Three podcast of veteran NBA guard guard J.J. Redick, Carmelo Anthony opened up about his ill-fated stint with the Houston Rockets to start the 2018-19 season.
During that season, the Rockets opted to part ways with the 10-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer after just 10 games. At the time, the Rockets — coming off a Western Conference Finals berth — were a disappointing 4-6 and exploring all sorts of changes to get back on track.
Anthony shot just 40.5% from the field and 32.8% on 3-pointers, and he was seen as a defensive liability in the switch-heavy scheme run by former Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni and assistant Jeff Bzdelik.
From Anthony’s perspective, it just wasn’t the best fit for a number of reasons. In new comments to Redick on the podcast, he said:
When I get to Houston, now I really feel like an outcast. But because I got CP [Chris Paul] there, P.J. [Tucker], and James [Harden], we’re going to work this out. ‘I am the piece that that team needs.’
But that wasn’t their thinking. I don’t want to throw out any names. They wanted me to come in and be a spot-up, corner shooter. Run to the corner, spot up, and that’s it. It didn’t work at all. I used to tell them like ‘Look, throw me a bone. Just on a switch, throw it in there.’ I need that feel, I need that touch. You know, I’m a rhythm player.
First of all, I can’t come off the bench and then shoot three 3s in a row. I just can’t do that.
“When I get to Houston, the basketball part of it is like… this is another sacrifice,” Anthony concluded. “But now, I’m sacrificing for a greater good. I’m willing to sell my soul to go win. When I get there, I honestly didn’t feel like I was a part of Houston at all.”
After moving on from Anthony, the Rockets finished the 2018-19 season on a 49-23 clip (.681), which would have been good for more than 55 wins over the full season. Anthony did not join another NBA team until inking a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers in November 2019.
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Now 36 years old, Anthony’s statistics over 58 games with the Blazers (15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds on 43.0% shooting, and 38.5% on 3-pointers) were all far better than what he registered with the Rockets in October and November 2018. However, the Blazers finished the season with a disappointing 35-39 record and were eliminated in the first round of the 2020 playoffs, a year after reaching the Western Conference Finals.
Portland also finished No. 27 among NBA teams in net defensive rating, down from No. 16 in the prior season (without Anthony).
Anthony will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He has not indicated that he has any interest in retiring.
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