After saying all the right things about Carmelo Anthony in the offseason when the Houston Rockets signed him, the franchise is ready to move on without their big-name acquisition.
General manager Daryl Morey initially denied the early rumors that Anthony was done with the Rockets, but now the decision to part ways is official.
The Rockets aren't going to waive Anthony just yet, but he won't play another game with the team as he tries to figure out his next move. He will now be without a team during the season for the first time in his career. But the future Hall of Famer should have options moving forward, including the possibility of retirement if he so chooses. Should Anthony and the Rockets part ways, there are five options he should consider.
5. Retire from NBA
Anthony has achieved a lot in his career. He has been a member of the All-Rookie team, a 10-time All-Star, a six-time All-NBA member, an Olympian and the best player on two storied franchises in the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. He has scored 25,551 career points, good for 19th in NBA history.
These are accomplishments Anthony can be proud of and be satisfied with. Very few players in league history have achieved what Melo has in 15-plus seasons. If he goes the retirement route, no one would blame him for hanging up his jersey for good, though he could potentially go to China or somewhere else overseas and be a legend. The BIG3 could also be calling his name. There are basketball options after the NBA.
4. Wait until after the All-Star break before making a decision
It’s so easy to tell Anthony where he should go now, but it’s actually difficult to gauge which teams are really going to be in the playoff hunt this early in the season. If he’s unsure about whether to retire or not, the Syracuse product could wait for a while before he decides. Perhaps waiting until the All-Star break would be good for Anthony, who may need some time to consider his options and not rush into one he may regret down the road.
3. Join a young team
Anthony could help a young team hoping to make some noise in the postseason. The Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets are three such teams that may want to take a gamble on the veteran.
The Bucks are on the cusp of joining the elite teams in the East. Meanwhile, the Sixers have just increased their chances of being the top team in the conference with the recent trade for Jimmy Butler, and they could bolster their claim with Anthony's presence. Over in the West, the Nuggets are looking to break through back into the postseason. Could a reunion be in store?
All three teams could benefit with the addition of Anthony. The only question for him is whether he wants to stay in the West or if he wants to go back to the East.
2. Play for the Boston Celtics
Kyrie Irving said Sunday night that the Celtics could use a veteran presence on the roster. Perhaps Kyrie heard about Anthony’s precarious situation with the Rockets and is wondering about his team’s chances of landing the veteran forward. Despite his age (34), Anthony is still a serviceable player coming off the bench.
Kyrie: "Right now I think it would be nice if we had someone that was a 15-year vet, a 14-year vet that could kind of help us race along the regular season and understand it’s a long marathon rather than just a full-on sprint."
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) November 12, 2018
Having Anthony on the team may not move the needle much in terms of the Celtics’ chances of owning the Eastern Conference, but he could provide a scoring punch to Boston’s bench in the playoffs when points become harder to come by.
1. Sign with the Golden State Warriors
If Melo is still itching to play for a title contender, his best chance of owning a championship ring is by playing for the Warriors. Though he knows the bad reputation that accompanied Kevin Durant after joining a stacked Golden State team in the summer of 2016, Anthony may not be as maligned since he’s at the tail end of his career.
He could give them 12-15 minutes of offensive punch off the bench and not have to worry about much else. Anthony wouldn't be asked to do much, and going to the Bay Area would almost assure him of finally holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
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