Los Angeles Lakers rumors: Why the team should sign Carmelo Anthony
By Jason Reed
The latest Los Angeles Lakers rumors indicate that the team is pursuing veteran forward Carmelo Anthony, which some fans probably are not too pleased with.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Carmelo Anthony have been tied together ever since Carmelo was traded and subsequently waived to the Chicago Bulls. Anthony has not played an NBA minute since, but that has not stopped the speculation from growing.
Ian Begley of SNY recently reported that several NBA executives think the Lakers are the likely destination for the veteran forward.
And for the most part, the idea of signing Anthony has not been welcomed by Laker fans. Anthony is far past his prime, does not show any effort on most of his defensive possessions and has not evolved into the late-career three-point specialist that teams had hoped for.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder were better without Anthony and he was a non-factor on the Houston Rockets. Every sign should be telling the Lakers not to sign Anthony, when in fact, the team should be looking to bring in the veteran forward.
It might not make sense to say that after all of the negatives just mentioned about Anthony but the fact of the matter is that Anthony provides something that most other pieces do not right not: financial flexibility.
If the Lakers are serious about pursuing D’Angelo Russell then the team is going to need to bring in veteran players on the minimum in order to keep that cap space for the young point guard. Anthony is one of the few players, alongside other rumored target J.R. Smith and 2018 Laker JaVale McGee, that can sign that deal and still contribute.
The importance here is Anthony’s role and the Lakers (specifically LeBron James) making sure that he is familiar and willing to take on this lesser role. He won’t be a starter, heck, he might not even play more than 15 minutes per game.
But he can be a valuable bench piece that can come in and provide off-ball scoring. Heck, if he shows an improvement in scoring and focus, he could even be the second unit’s leading scorer.
He still shot over 35 percent from beyond the arc with the Thunder. If he can come out and knock down 2-3 threes and score around 10 a game then it will be a win for Los Angeles.
Having that kind of scorer off the bench that can be efficient for four minutes a quarter and keep the team afloat against the other team’s bench is exactly what a title-contending team like the Lakers need.
He is not going to be a leading scorer and should not be touted as part of a big three, as he was in OKC and Houston. He is a role player that is chasing his first championship and can help the Lakers more by taking a lesser role.
Anthony certainly is going to be motivated. He is getting this last chance at contending for a ring and he realizes after practically not playing at all last season that his days in the NBA are numbered.
Next. What to do with the remaining cap space. dark
As long as he can refrain from having a superstar ego then there is no reason he cannot give the Los Angeles Lakers what they need. And if he does end up not working out it will not hurt the team much, as his contract would present virtually no long-term or financial risk.