It’s been a long summer for Carmelo Anthony and an even longer offseason. The 35-year-old forward hasn’t played a game of NBA basketball since Nov. 8, 2018, when he suited for his 10th and final game with the Houston Rockets.
Through those 10 games, Anthony averaged a modest 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game but posted a below-league average VORP of -0.3 and a defensive rating of 112. That, coupled with the fact that the Rockets started the season 4-6, led to Houston deciding that his time with the team was over, something Anthony didn’t appreciate.
During a sit-down interview with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take Friday morning, Anthony detailed his final days with the Rockets and wasn’t happy with the way the team’s general manager, Daryl Morey, went about the situation.
“I actually reached out to Daryl first and said, ‘Can we talk about this how can we make this bettter, what can we do to fix this? What can I do to fix this?’ But then he had in mind that he wanted to come talk to me too about releasing me and letting me go. I didn’t like how that went down.”
While Anthony knew that his Rockets tenure might come to end, it happened much sooner than he expected.
“I was actually in San Antonio, in my room getting ready for the game and me and Daryl were supposed to speak that night because I had reached out to him previously about a heads up meeting. Like, ‘What’s going on? Let me know what I can do. Like, I’m here to help the team. Let me know what I got to do.’ But he came in and was like, ‘Look: your service is no longer needed.’ And I’m like, ‘Hold up—what? What the hell you talking about?'”
Given the abrupt nature of his departure from the Rockets, it makes sense that Anthony, a 10-time All-Star and probable future Hall of Famer, wants one more go-round in the NBA. Here’s to hoping that one of the 30 teams in the league gives him that chance.
