NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Should Retire Instead Of Joining New Team, Says Tracy McGrady
Numerous reports have suggested over the past few days that 10-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony is on the outs with the Houston Rockets. As “Melo” has missed the Rockets’ last three games, there has been a lot of talk claiming that he could be on his way to a third NBA team in two seasons. However, ESPN analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady believes it might be better if Anthony closes the book on a successful NBA career and announces his retirement.
In Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s The Jump, host Rachel Nichols brought up the aforementioned rumors of Anthony’s representatives looking for potential “landing spots” for the 16-year veteran, before asking McGrady where he thinks Melo may end up if he joins a new team. As quoted by Yahoo Sports, McGrady answered by saying that Anthony is better off retiring than switching teams, as he doesn’t deserve the “negativity” he has gotten for his play in the last two seasons.
“I honestly think Melo should retire. I really do. I don’t want him to go through another situation like this and people are just pouring negativity on this man’s legacy. I really think, because it hasn’t worked out the last two teams, you have a Have of Fame career, just go ahead and let it go.”
Per Basketball-Reference, Carmelo Anthony has played 10 games for the Houston Rockets in the 2018-19 season and is averaging career lows in points (13.4), rebounds (5.4), assists (0.5), and minutes per game (29.4), while shooting only 40.5 percent from the field. Anthony, who spent the first 14 seasons of his career with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, was traded in 2017 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 assists as the team’s third offensive option behind Russell Westbrook and Paul George. He was then traded in the summer of 2018 to the Atlanta Hawks, who quickly waived him and allowed him to become a free agent and sign with the Rockets.
Tracy McGrady: Carmelo Anthony should just retire https://t.co/UxhSfiFkYN pic.twitter.com/TjAsaOoIUJ
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 14, 2018
Days after the Rockets surprisingly started benching Anthony due to an unspecified “illness,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote on Tuesday that per league sources, Houston is “moving toward waiving” the onetime NBA scoring champion in the near future. He added that there has been a lot of conversation among general managers and coaches on whether adding Anthony to their teams’ lineups would benefit them as the 2018-19 season progresses.
Tracy McGrady isn’t the only former NBA player to speak out in recent days on The Jump and suggest that Carmelo Anthony should retire at some point in the near future. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Richard Jefferson commented on Friday that Anthony is at a point in his career where he is no longer the explosive scorer he used to be in his younger years, and that he should consider going on a “similar farewell tour” to Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who declared earlier this year that the 2018-19 NBA season will be his last.
