The summer has been headlined by major player movements and at the forefront of it all are the Houston Rockets. Coming off a disappointing finish to a strong season in general, the Rockets pulled off a shocker when they traded for Chris Paul from the L.A. Clippers.
But given the shark-like approach of general manager Daryl Morey when it comes to roster management, the Rockets are once again poised to make some serious noise if they manage to pull off a deal with the New York Knicks for scoring machine Carmelo Anthony.
While the idea of having a possible Big Three of James Harden, Paul, and Anthony is salivating to most, former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy isn’t joining the bandwagon.
“So I’m interested in the Carmelo thing. I don’t necessarily see it as a natural fit. He’s a very good player, yet they don’t need help offensively.” Van Gundy said in an interview with the New York Post’s Marc Berman. “They were a fabulous offensive team. I’m interested to see if it happens and who’s involved if it does happen. I don’t necessarily see the fit.”
Van Gundy’s assessment holds some valid truth, but the creative mind of Mike D’Antoni should also be taken into consideration, especially after proving to everyone that he can make James Harden an effective point guard.
The Rockets are now bolstered by two of the best, and most willing, passers in the league in Harden and Paul, making a potential Anthony addition logical given his aggressive approach to light up the scoreboard.
However, there is still one big problem for Houston and it goes without saying for 28 other teams — the Golden State Warriors.
“Unfortunately, what they need to combat Golden State is a two-way Hall of Fame-caliber player, and they got one in Paul,” he said. “So Anthony certainly is a Hall of Fame player, but whether he gives them great defensive versatility. … It is where Ryan Anderson struggled, in pick-and-rolls. So maybe Anthony will be more versatile defensively than Anderson, and maybe that’s the upgrade there.”
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