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Golden State Warriors: Evaluating a potential Carmelo Anthony signing

By Tony Pesta

BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 02: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Houston Rockets in action against Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November 2, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Rockets defeated the Nets 119-111. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 02: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Houston Rockets in action against Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November 2, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Rockets defeated the Nets 119-111. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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After being traded to the Chicago Bulls, Carmelo Anthony will likely be a free agent very soon. Today, we evaluate the potential scenario that could find Anthony with the Golden State Warriors.

Carmelo Anthony is far from his days of being an All-Star player. It seems like decades since we last saw Anthony put up productive numbers and his legacy has taken an enormous hit. Still, he is looking to find a new home and the Golden State Warriors could be his landing spot. But, is this something the Warriors should consider?

Once he clears waivers, Anthony will have been removed from four different teams in less than two seasons. His presence has been a detriment to every team he has joined and he has given little to no reason to believe he can still be a valuable player.

However, there are still a few very small indications that Carmelo could possibly just be having the most unfortunate two-year stretch of all-time. For example, let’s acknowledge the fact that he has had his role drastically changed from the first option in New York to an afterthought in Oklahoma City and Houston.

Furthermore, neither the Thunder or Rockets played in a system that would be beneficiary to Melo’s play style. Anthony became an elite player through his isolation plays and working in the mid-range.

Sadly, this way of playing is frowned upon in today’s NBA, as 3-pointers and ball-movement are the most popular style among championship contending teams. It will be tough for Carmelo to find a suitable home anywhere with his current skill set.

To give Anthony the benefit of the doubt, I believe he knows that his style is now outdated. After being moved from team to team, it would be very hard for Melo not to get the hint. As a result, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has spent the last few months working to adjust his game into something that would fit better in the modern day.

In the event that Carmelo Anthony does sign a deal with the Golden State Warriors, his best case scenario would be filling in as a bench player. If Melo could average around 10-15 points in 20 minutes of playing time, both sides would be happy.

The only problem here is that the Warriors don’t exactly need someone to score with their second unit. Sure, adding another veteran player might help, but it isn’t necessary. On top of this, the worst case scenario for Melo would bring far worse repercussions than his best case would bring rewards.

To bring this to a conclusion, signing Anthony is not something that the Warriors should do. This team is already in position to dominate in the playoffs and throwing a wild card like Melo into the mix isn’t worth it.

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