Miami shooting guard Dwyane Wade is coming to the defense of his close friend, Houston Rockets small forward Carmelo Anthony.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Rockets are leaning toward parting ways with Carmelo Anthony after just 10 games. Anthony signed a one-year deal with the Rockets in the summer after getting traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks, and then reaching a buyout agreement with Atlanta. The 10-time All-Star has appeared in 10 games this season and is averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The Rockets entered Sunday with a record of 4-7. Dwyane Wade believes the organization is using Melo as the scapegoat and he’s not happy about it:
Trying to make my guy @carmeloanthony the fall guy huh!? Man y’all need to stop. That’s the easy way out instead of addressing what the real problem.
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 12, 2018
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told reporters Sunday the team is evaluating everything and that it’s unfair for the critics to single out Carmelo Anthony for the club’s early struggles.
Dwyane Wade is right in the sense that all of the Rockets’ issues aren’t Carmelo Anthony’s fault. However, the stats aren’t in Melo’s favor.
In the 10 games Carmelo Anthony has played in, Houston has a net rating of minus-9.0 with Anthony on the court and minus-0.2 with him on the bench, per NBA.com. Opponents have an offensive rating of 119.2 when Carmelo Anthony is on the floor for the Rockets. That rating drops to 108.0 when Anthony goes to the bench. This shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Melo is one of the worst defenders in the league. He can’t stay in front of anyone and usually saves his energy for the offensive end.
It’s not a surprise to see D-Wade have Melo’s back. That’s what friends are for. It will be interesting to see if Anthony is let go by Houston and if the Heat have any interest in the veteran scorer. Miami met with Carmelo Anthony over the summer after the Hawks waived him.
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