Despite having not played since Nov. 8, this season has been a wild ride for Carmelo Anthony. His pairing with the Houston Rockets core of James Harden and Chris Paul was cut short after just 10 games with the team and Melo’s camp agreeing it was best to part ways.
While his time in Houston didn’t work out, Anthony is still ready to contribute for an NBA team.
During his attendance at Madison Square Garden watching close friend Dwyane Wade take on the Knicks one last time on Sunday night, Carmelo opened up a little about his plans.
“At this point I just want to be happy,” he told Rebecca Haarlow in a sideline interview.
This likely means that his next stop won’t have to be a place he can play in a featuring role or as part of team with serious title odds. After two quick stints in the backend of his career that both ended less than desirably, it sounds like Melo just wants to play.
There may be a mutually beneficial arraignment available for the 34-year-old veteran who is looking to make a return following the trade deadline. The Indiana Pacers could be a team that has ample reason to extend an offer Melo’s way and would also allow him to play a meaningful number of minutes. It seems that the ball could already be rolling on this signing, as Anthony was spotted in Indianapolis this past Saturday night.
Here are three big reasons the Pacers should take a chance and bring Carmelo Anthony aboard.
3. They need scoring
The Indiana Pacers have been one of the best defenses in the NBA so far this season. With a second-best defensive rating, Indiana has powered their way to a 32-16 record and sits as the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Their offense, while still exactly middle of the league, will likely take a big hit as the team moves forward without Victor Oladipo. Set to miss the remainder of the season due to a ruptured quad tendon, Oladipo was the Pacers’ lead scorer, giving the team 18.8 points per game.
Carmelo Anthony would make sense as a plausible recourse to fill in the gap left by Oladipo’s absence. His game isn’t what it used to be, but scoring is still one of the steady services he can provide for an NBA team. One thing that makes Melo a specifically viable option for Indiana is his ability to create his own shot.
In his 10 games this season, 47.1 percent of Anthony’s shots were two-pointers, and only 42.9 percent of those were assisted. His numbers from last year indicate this as well, with 59.4 percent of his field goals being two-pointers and only 37.6 percent coming off an assist.
His efficiency has seen some decline in his recent time in both Oklahoma City and Houston. Much of this regression is rooted in being a below average three-point shooter. When taking shots that were 16 feet out from the basket or shorter, he is still shooting with an efficiency on par with his career numbers or better.
Being able to surround Carmelo with multiple perimeter threats will allow him to focus on creating type of shots and operating in areas he is still comfortable with. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Melo able to provide decent bench scoring for an Indy team that could absolutely use it.
2. He plays a position of need
Indiana was fortunate to have multiple players that could flexibly be inserted into lineups. Without Oladipo, though, they lost a little bit of that versatility. For instance, 23 percent of Tyreke Evans' 906 minutes so far this season have been spent at the small forward position. That is an increase from last season, where Evans played his best basketball in years with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Similarly, Doug McDermott has spent 36 percent of his 836 minutes this season at the power forward position, which is up 31 percent from the season before.
Adding Carmelo Anthony would allow the Pacers to recalibrate their lineups in order to cover minutes that are up in the air following the loss of Oladipo, or even to just better match players skill-sets. Melo would be able to provide minutes at power forward, providing a roster ripple effect. With less minutes to cover, players like Bojan Bogdanovic and McDermott could slide into more minutes at the small forward. Similarly, Tyreke Evans would then be able to play less minutes at small forward and could play as a guard almost entirely.
Those adjustments could prove beneficial for Indiana, who will have to rely less on isolation plays as a team and look to increase ball movement. Melo at the power forward also offers a little extra size as opposed to their previous options outside of Thaddeus Young and T.J. Leaf.
1. It is a low risk move
This may be the most important reason the Indiana Pacers should look to bring in Carmelo Anthony. As opposed to other routes available to them on the trade market, signing Melo is a low risk move that would cost nothing more than a roster spot.
A guard like Mike Conley would have plenty to contribute to the team, but would come with a price tag of quality assets. Taking on a wing like Kent Bazemore would mean swallowing some serious salary for next season. Even a trade for a player like Thon Maker would cost the team at least some low-level assets and possibly a player or two that the team would like to keep.
As Indiana continues through the season without Victor Oladipo, a feeling of being in limbo is to be expected. The team is still good, but the ceiling of their immediate success this season is likely adjusted. Nonetheless, the team will still aim to make a playoff appearance and fight their way as deep into the postseason as possible.
A signing of Melo, as opposed to making a big move via trade, would let them keep pushing forward without running the risk of sacrificing too much to no avail.
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