Houston Rockets Rumors: Carmelo Anthony should play basketball in China

The Houston Rockets finally parted ways with Carmelo Anthony by trading him to the Bulls. After he is bought out there, he should take his talents to China.

The Houston Rockets were on the verge of an NBA Finals appearance at the end of the 2017-18 season. Arguably, they were a healthy Chris Paul hamstring away from it but, that’s just conjecture.

That roster had expiring contracts so the Rockets brass took the opportunity to retool the roster in a different manner. That including finally ending the years-long rumors about Carmelo Anthony bringing his talents to Houston. The Thunder traded him to the Hawks who subsequently bought out his contract so he could sign with the Rockets.

Melo had previously spent a lot of time saying that he would never accept a role reduction as he still viewed himself as a star player. However, in coming to Houston, his tune changed. He suddenly seemed willing to come off of the bench and be the team’s sixth man.

Then, the Houston Rockets limped off to a miserably slow start and seemingly ideal marriage crumbled before it really began. With the team struggling while he remained on the bench, Melo became discontent and voiced that opinion early and often.

This led to a divorce between the two sides after only ten games. So much for Melo taking the Houston Rockets offense to the next level and pioneering another run at the NBA Finals. Melo left the team yet remained on the roster for the time being.

Well, that time of getting paid to sit home came to an end on Monday when the Houston Rockets traded him to the Bulls. It was long rumored the Rockets were waiting to deal him for when Melo found his future team. That apparently didn’t work out since he landed on a rebuilding team in Chicago with cash to be bought out so the team could add Kenneth Faried after his buyout.

After the buyout is complete, Melo will once again hit the open market. He will be free to sign with whomever he desires to play his craft. It’s obvious through his time away from the Rockets that he still sees himself as a star who can lead an offensive charge for a team. But, it’s also obvious that other teams in the NBA don’t agree with that sentiment.

If other teams did agree with this, he likely would have been traded before now if that wasn’t the case. There are a few teams that he has been linked to throughout his time away from the Rockets and even more so now that he is about to be a free agent again.

Teaming up with his buddy LeBron James in Los Angeles would likely be ideal for Melo but he would have a similar role to the one he had in Houston. He could head back to New York but this time with the surging Nets though he would likely have a role off of the bench there as well. Beyond that, heading up to Portland or down to Miami could be options.

However, none of those landing spots can offer what Melo wants and thinks he deserves. He won’t be able to go to a contender and get the starting, starring role. Of course, Melo could go the Vince Carter route and just collect as much money as possible for as long as possible but Melo is a different breed from Carter.

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Melo still believes he is a cultural icon, rightfully so. He is still one of the most recognizable players around the world and can still attract a ton of attention, as evidenced by the ‘Hoodie Melo’ craze. If he wants to continue to capitalize his brand and get the role he wants, he should pull a Stephon Marbury ply his trade in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Marbury extended the life and shine of his star by years by going to China. The CBA would likely roll out the red carpet for Melo just as they did for Marbury. He is an international icon that would receive immense amounts of star treatment in China with more minutes than he could want and a bigger role than he could in the NBA.

Melo would become one of the biggest names and most recognizable faces in the CBA and he could continue to increase his brand to be even more worldwide than it already is. Heading to China is the best option for what Melo wants because he is not going to find it in the NBA and after his bench experiment on the Houston Rockets failed, other teams won’t be lining up to try it out.

China is Melo’s best shot at stardom in basketball. The Houston Rockets will likely have been his best and last shot at a solid role on a contending team. I may be wrong but, this seems to be his best options. Time will tell.