It's over. Houston Rockets forward Carmelo Anthony is departing his team after only playing 10 regular-season games.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said in a statement that they are letting Carmelo Anthony go as it would be unfair to him as a Hall of Fame player to do something that wasn't good for his role. Insiders told ESPN that the team has no intentions to waive him.
They will instead allow his staff to continue evaluating the marketplace for a possible landing spot that they have been working on in the past few days. Morey went on to say that their plans for the team about the player's role has not been materialized since he started playing for the Houston Rockets so they thought it would be better for him to part ways with the team as it wouldn't be fair to him.
In the summer, Carmelo Anthony signed as a free agent, which means that he is not qualified for a trade at least until December 15. He signed with a $2.4 million veteran's minimum salary with the Rockets that can be obtained on waivers. But if he can clear waivers, he will be qualified to sign with another team as soon as everything is up.
Head Coach Mike D'Antoni assigned most of Anthony's role to rookie Gary Clark as they believe Anthony wouldn't be able to perform in his best if the role is not a fit. The 34-year-old NBA star thought he could be the piece to patch the hole for the Houston Rockets to win the team's first ever championship since consecutive titles in 1994-95.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out, but Morey made it clear that Anthony did his best to do everything he can for the team. "In the summer we tried to hit a home run and it didn't work out. He tried everything he could. He was great while he was here. It just didn't work out for whatever reason. I just thank him for his professionalism," D'Antoni said. "It was good. He tried everything he could to make it work and it just didn't work out."
D'Antoni also added that the way they envisioned how Anthony, 34, could play for the team is different from how he plays for the role - something that they understand as a team. He expects the rest of the team to deal with this challenge although it's going to be difficult as everyone has built great friendships with him.
Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time All-Star forward was drafted in the NBA in 2003 and was picked by the Denver Nuggets.
