Carmelo Anthony has essentially been a member of the Rockets for a month, but he finally made it official Monday by signing his new contract alongside general manager Daryl Morey.
Melo making it official! 🖊🚀
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) August 13, 2018
📸 » @dmorey pic.twitter.com/PnFPfc61wZ
After struggling to find his place in Oklahoma City, Anthony is hoping he will fit better with James Harden and Chris Paul than Russell Westbrook and Paul George. What remains to be seen, however, is what kind of role Anthony will fill in Houston — and if he is willing to fill a lesser role this time around.
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Anthony literally laughed off the idea of being removed from the Thunder's starting lineup, but he could find himself on the bench heading into the 2018-19 season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The final decision rests in the hands of head coach Mike D'Antoni, who isn't ready to make any bold proclamations.
"I don’t know [how I see the rotation], and that’s something that we’ll have to work out," D'Antoni told USA Today's Sam Amick. "All I know is that we’ll try different combos — preseason, early season, and the good thing is that with analytics and with gut feelings and coaches and players, we’ll figure out what is the best way to play.
"And again, if everybody is on board, then it’ll be, ‘Hey, this is where we’re the best. This is how we can win the championship.’ I don’t know yet, but we’ll make sure we get it right as good as we can."
If Anthony does come off the bench for Game 1 of the regular season, it would mark the first time he hasn't started an NBA contest since... well, ever. Anthony is one of only 13 current players with a perfect starting record, and he is easily the leader of that group in total games and minutes.
(If you're wondering why LeBron James didn't make the list below, he missed one start in 2007 to support teammate Anderson Varejao, who was returning to the Cavs after a contentious holdout. James entered the game with Varejao to prevent a negative fan reaction. He has started every other game in his career.)
| Player | Total Games | Total Minutes |
| Carmelo Anthony | 1,054 | 37,835 |
| Chris Paul | 892 | 31,493 |
| Kevin Durant | 771 | 28,603 |
| Blake Griffin | 529 | 18,537 |
| Damian Lillard | 469 | 17,069 |
| Kyrie Irving | 441 | 14,955 |
| Andrew Wiggins | 327 | 11,841 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 246 | 8,575 |
| Joel Embiid | 94 | 2,698 |
| Ben Simmons | 81 | 2,732 |
| Jayson Tatum | 80 | 2,438 |
| Dennis Smith | 69 | 2,049 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 68 | 2,020 |
Going back in time before his NBA career began, Anthony also started in all 35 games of his lone season at Syracuse. The last time the 34-year-old didn't start was as a member of the 2012 Team USA roster. Before that, maybe an early grade school game?
More important than the idea of starting, though, is Anthony proving he can thrive on a contending team. He shot a career-low 40.4 percent from the field with the Thunder during the regular season, and his numbers only got worse in the playoffs. OKC excelled once Anthony left the floor in the first-round series against Utah.
If Anthony can accept the fact that he may not be part of the starting (or closing) unit, particularly against elite teams like the defending champion Warriors, then he becomes a bargain on a veteran's minimum contract. If he doesn't, D'Antoni and Anthony could reopen old wounds from their New York days.
Anthony is staring at a possibility he has never seen before as an NBA player. How he responds with the Rockets could go a long way in determining the trajectory of the rest of his career.
