Why The Lakers Shouldn’t Pursue Carmelo Anthony If He Is Waived

Carmelo Anthony will become a free agent for the second time in a short period of time. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, Anthony is about to end his time with the Houston Rockets. He had a short tenure with the team, and it was more than terrible.

But, what about the Los Angeles Lakers fans who want Carmelo Anthony in the team?

Carmelo’s numbers are low enough to end his career with the Rockets. This means that the Los Angeles Lakers should not even think of adding Anthony to the squad. He cannot be fixed at this point in his professional career.

However, many fans are still trying to make a point here. Anthony was an All-Star two seasons ago, and the Lakers do not have a playable backup forward. Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma are starting. Lance Stephenson and Josh Hart are guards and Michael Beasley does not have any playing time. Anthony’s affinity for Bryant always brought him points from these fans, and maybe that will help him at the moment. Anthony and Bryant had excellent playing style and were also great friends.

The Lakers added Tyson Chandler, and they have only two empty spots to fill. They need perimeter defense and three-point shooting. The bad news is that Anthony cannot provide any of this.

Last season, Anthony was a league-average shooter at 35.7 percent from long range. This season he fell at 32.8 percent. He just missed open shots, that’s all.

The 2013-14 was the last year Anthony was able to challenge for the scoring title. He shot 40.2 percent from three-point range. He had 5.4 per game and 3.5 of them are on catch-and-shoot opportunities. The other 1.9 were actually the pull-up jumpers he prefers. Carmelo Anthony is a rhythm player. Will the Lakers sign him?