Rumors are swirling around Carmelo Anthony's meeting with the Houston Rockets' front office and coaching staff regarding his role and future with the team. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports that the return of Eric Gordon from injury and the emergence of Gary Clark are playing important roles in these Anthony discussions.

Two individuals familiar with the talks said the Rockets are weighing where he fits with Eric Gordon back from his injury and rookie Gary Clark showing enough, especially defensively, to want to keep playing him.

Those two factors could severely cut Anthony's playing time, as the Rockets evaluate how to deal with that.

The Rockets have been in a state of flux early this season due to their disappointing start. Anthony doesn't seem to fit well with the team's schemes on both ends of the floor.

The 10-time All-Star has seen his minutes diminish in the last two games he played with the team. He was also listed as inactive due to illness during the Rockets' loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. Interestingly, that was the time when the reports of his meeting with team officials surfaced online.

Along with the decrease in Anthony's minutes is the increased playing time of Clark, a rookie. The 24-year-old Cincinnati product is averaging more than 20 minutes in the previous four games while displaying his versatility on the defensive end.

On top of that, Gordon has also returned to the lineup after missing three games. Gordon put up 23 points and four rebounds in a losing effort at the hands of the Spurs.

The Rockets play at home Sunday as they face Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers.