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Rockets assistant coach says Carmelo Anthony will ‘operate easier’

carmelo anthony

The Houston Rockets have their sights set on their first NBA Finals appearance since 1995. After falling just short of the NBA’s biggest dance last campaign in controversial and unfortunate circumstances, the Rockets have tinkered with their roster this off-season in the hopes of becoming the Western Conference’s top dog.

The general consensus is the Golden State Warriors are still clear favorites in the entire association to win it all and rightly so, but despite this, the Rockets believe they are the team to end the dynasty this upcoming season.

Their offseason moves have rolled the dice yet again, as they re-signed athletic big man Clint Capela and basically swapped Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah A Moute for veteran scorer Carmelo Anthony in the hopes Anthony’s offensive capabilities push them over the hump in a league that demands scoring at the highest of levels.

With Anthony’s arrival comes a brand new level of optimism throughout the franchise, and despite the criticism Anthony has undergone these past 12 months for his style of play and overall numbers, Rockets assistant coach Irv Roland believes the 10-time All-Star still has a lot left in the tank as he explained via Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio.

“I think what Carmelo brings us is a guy who can go get us a bucket. The trend in the league now is to do a lot of switching defensively and you need guys who when the play breaks down, they can go get you a bucket and take the pressure and stress off of CP [Chris Paul] and James. Melo is one of the most special scorers that this league has seen and I think with the way that we play, he’ll be able to operate easier than he has probably on any other team that he’s been on.”

“I think that people will see he’s still got a lot left in the tank. People talk about him and coach [Mike] DAntoni’s time in New York, but people aren’t realistic. Like they look at what happened there, but don’t mention the personnel that they had. They didn’t have a team that was elite. Don’t get me wrong, they had a couple pieces that were solid, but they didn’t have a team that was ready to compete and make serious noise. This team has already proven they can compete for a championship and now you’re adding one of the best scorers this game has ever seen.”

Anthony averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season, shooting just 40 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point land. His numbers and efficiency were well below standard for a scorer of his caliber, but look for these to rise as Chris Paul and James Harden will masterfully set up their new teammate.

The Rockets will be relying on his production in the hopes of capturing an NBA championship.

The post Rockets assistant coach says Carmelo Anthony will ‘operate easier’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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