A year ago, Carmelo Anthony laughed at the suggestion that he might come off the bench for Oklahoma City.
Today, Anthony is at least open to the idea of a bench role with Houston under Mike D’Antoni, who was Anthony’s coach in New York in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Asked Monday if he would be willing to come off the bench for the Rockets, Anthony said, “Whatever I have to do to help this team win a championship, that’s what going to be done.”
Anthony said he hasn’t had that discussion yet, and D’Antoni was non-committal about Anthony’s role as starter or reserve.
“We’ll see how it fits,” D’Antoni said. “I don’t know how they play together, how they fit together.”
He’s talking about Anthony alongside guards James Harden, the 2017-18 MVP, and point guard Chris Paul. Last season, the Thunder never quite figured it out with Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
Obviously, pride is at play for Anthony, who is a 10-time All-Star. But if he’s willing to play a bench role, that could make Houston a more dynamic team. The Rockets could create mismatches with Anthony going up against an opponent’s reserve. There aren’t many reserves with Anthony’s ability.
It’s possible Anthony embraces the role, and plays like Olympic Carmelo who excels for Team USA at the Olympics when he doesn’t have to be the main offensive weapon.
Under D’Antoni’s explosive offensive system, Anthony said he might even play center in certain rotations.
“The game has changed, and we all have to embrace that instead of comparing it to how the game was played before,” Anthony said.
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