Carmelo Anthony is one of those NBA players who constantly has fans divided. While he might be one of the best scorers of the last decade, there is certainly quite a bit of debate as to what he's accomplished and what kind of player he is when he doesn't have the ball. After an unsuccessful stint in OKC, Anthony went to the Houston Rockets last season and was released after just 10 games. Since then, not a single team has signed him to a contract and now, he's in basketball purgatory.
There have been theories as to why no one wants to sign him but a new report from ESPN’s Baxter Holmes seems to point to Melo's defensive shortcomings. In the report, an anonymous source says Melo is so bad on defense that he actually surprised the Rockets.
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Per Holmes:
"Although the Rockets knew of Anthony’s defensive weaknesses before he joined, team sources say they didn’t anticipate just how limited he would be in their aggressive switch-centric defense, which tasked him with running quicker players off the 3-point line. One team source speculates that, had they known he’d struggle so much in their defense, Anthony wouldn’t have been brought aboard. “He really, really struggled with it,” the source says."
With that being said, it shouldn't be surprising that Melo hasn't found another home in the NBA. It's a sad state of affairs for a player who was so beloved during his prime.
[Via]
