Off the jump, the possibility of Carmelo Anthony joining the Golden State Warriors is easy to dismiss. Melo has fallen out with two teams just in 2018 alone. He had an entire year to try and figure things out with the Oklahoma City Thunder before both sides decided to move on. It took 10 games before the Melo experiment went horribly wrong for the Houston Rockets.
So why would the Warriors take a chance on Melo when his recent track record is so poor? They won't. There are a few specific reasons why they might, but there is a litany of reasons why they won't take a chance on the aging star.
The Case For Carmelo Anthony
This case will be similar to the case made by Chris Paul and the Rockets when they signed Anthony. He is still a gifted scorer and he's still a serious threat from behind the arc. One of Anthony's alter egos, “Olympic Melo” is what fans envisioned for Melo in Houston.
This version of Melo is the version that is the USA's all-time leader in scoring at the Olympics. It's the version of Melo that can seamlessly fit alongside a cadre of superstars because of his elite three-point shooting ability. Essentially, when people think of “Olympic Melo” they think of a player who can spot up at the three-point line and sink each and every open look.
It didn't work in Houston, but perhaps it could work in Golden State under the right conditions.
The Case Against Melo
The case against Melo revolves almost entirely around defense. He is at the point in his career when his lateral quickness has regressed to a point where he can't stay in front of anybody. He can hang as a stretch power forward, but he can't defend small forwards or guards.
That was the main reason he flamed out in Houston's switch-heavy defense. Teams would search him out in the pick and roll and then punish him in the mismatch. He didn't fit Houston's system and that was what ultimately led to his downfall.
The Warriors employ a lot of the same defensive principles that Houston does. Most teams are moving towards switch-heavy defenses to mitigate the damage done in pick and roll situations. There's a chance that Steve Kerr could figure out how to work around Melo defensively. But Mike D'Antoni tried to do that too.
It's more about Melo's complete devolution as a defender than it's about the scheme. He was never a great defender, but now he's a complete liability on that end.
For the Warriors, the risk outweighs the potential rewards with Melo. Yes, he still can put the ball in the bucket, but his defensive liabilities overshadow anything he can provide on offense.
Golden State is already the overwhelming favorite to win a third straight championship, despite their recent locker room issues. They don't need to make a big splash or make a risky signing. They just need to make it through the regular season and turn it on in the playoffs like they always do.
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