Miami Heat: Signing Carmelo Anthony is still a bad idea
Carmelo Anthony is still not the answer for the Miami Heat.
After it was reported earlier this week that Carmelo Anthony will be parting ways with the Oklahoma City Thunder soon, as part of a mutual agreement, rumors began to circulate as to where he might like to land.
According to ESPN, the Heat, along with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, are expected to pursue Anthony.
Sure, the Heat have hardly been active during the free agency frenzy that has transpired this summer (other than signing Derrick Jones Jr.). However, just because Anthony (who may be a “whale” by president Pat Riley‘s standards) becomes available, does not mean that he is the answer.
Actually, Anthony is exactly what this Heat team does not need right now. There are multiple reasons the team should not consider him as an option.
For starters, the Heat need to focus on young players and creating a future.
That future should not involve signing a player going into his 17th year in the league.
Anthony did not post career numbers this year and he is not at a point where he is magically going to do so. Why would a team that has been trying to focus on development for players like Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Bam Adebayo want to bring in someone like Anthony? Signing someone that would cost a few players and a large salary, changes goal for the next few years.
Second, Anthony’s focus has not always been in a place that would fit well with the culture of Miami.
Why did he stay in New York with the Knicks for so long if he was unhappy? It was (at least in part) the money.
Anthony has never really been that interested in winning a championship, or at least enough to do anything about it. No fault there; if check ranks higher for him than rings, good for him. It is just a mentality that Heat fans, or at least the majority, have no interest in. There is already enough scrutiny going on right now with Hassan Whiteside and his payroll versus his production on the court this past season, for the entire fanbase.
Lastly, Anthony does not adapt super well.
Right now, the Heat are a team that needs flexible players who are willing to adjust their roles.
Despite Heat Culture, there is a transition going on right now when looking at the identity of the team since Udonis Haslem took on more of a mentoring role and Dwyane Wade is nearing the end of his career. This is a time when flexibility is important and that is certainly not Anthony’s strong suit, as he has generally wanted to be the star of whichever team he is on. That does not always leave room for a player to be very coachable.
Anthony is not a bad player by any standards when looking at his overall performance. Sure, he is not a great defender, but he is a 10-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist. Despite not having won a championship, he has had great career.
Next: The Miami Heat need to sign Jamal Crawford this offseason
This is not to bash on Anthony or what he has accomplished by any means, but looking at it from the Heat’s perspective, this is not the direction they should be going.