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When Carmelo Anthony left the New York Knicks to become a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder last year he made it clear that he didn’t plan on coming off the bench.
It seems that he has softened that stance a little this year after posting the worst season of his NBA career last season. Now a member of the Houston Rockets, last year’s Western Conference runner-up, he has a lot to prove as he’s on a team that has its eyes set on the NBA title.
The NBA is a young man’s game and Carmelo is getting up there in age. While many players have been able to keep their careers going well into their 30s with little slowdown such as LeBron James and Chris Paul, the transitions for many other players isn’t as smooth.
Being part of a potential championship team means players will have to make sacrifices. Carmelo Anthony will likely be called on this season to come off the bench and start at times. This time is different as Anthony says he’ll be able to live with the decision.
In an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Anthony spoke about what he’ll have to do this month.
Nichols: You did say in Oklahoma City last year, publicly, at a press conference, “I do not want to come off the bench. This is not something I’m interested in.” Has that changed?
Anthony: Well, I don’t think that would never change. I know what I can bring, and I know what I still can do and what I still have. So, my confidence from that standpoint, yeah, I always have to say, “I don’t wanna come off the bench.”
But knowing that ahead of time and having those conversations and going game-to-game and understanding, “OK, we might need you to do this tonight. We might need you to do that tonight,” I have a clearer understanding of what my role is.
Nichols: Do you feel like if they ask you to come off the bench on a certain night, or if they don’t want to close a game with you on a certain night, you can live with that?
Anthony: Yeah, I mean, I would have to live with it. That’s something I will have to get used to if that was to happen. But the biggest thing for me is just communicate that with me. If it’s a group of guys out there that’s playing well coming down the stretch, then we’re gonna roll with them. I’m cool with that.
I mean, of course I wanna be out there, but just communicate that with me. And that’s the only thing I ask. And so far, the communication has been, you know, very open and honest, and the dialogue has been great. And everybody’s on the same page, so that makes it easier.
In the Rockets final three preseason games, Anthony did come off the bench. The scoring ability Anthony possesses will make him quite the weapon if he does embrace a sixth man role.
Anthony didn’t sound as adamant about remaining a starter and even spoke at length about it to the Houston Chronicle.
“It’s an adjustment, more so a mental adjustment than a physical adjustment,” Anthony said. “That would be the most … challenging part, shifting your mindset, shifting the way you approach the beginning of the game. The approach to the game is pretty much the same, but you’re three, four minutes behind now.
“It (the long stretches that come with playing starter minutes off the bench) is a physical adjustment, but I think I’m in pretty decent shape to be able to handle that. It’s something we’ve been working towards in this off-season and this pre-season, playing that way. It is adjustment for me mentally. For everybody it’s an adjustment. It’s something new. For the most part, I think we will all enjoy it.”
Whether Carmelo Anthony is a starter or a sixth man the Houston Rockets will be a threat in the Western Conference this year led by Chris Paul and James Harden. The Rockets kick off their season tonight at home against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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