HOUSTON – The deal is finally done and the Houston Rockets have officially signed free agent Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony arrived in Houston Monday morning to take his physical, and by early afternoon he had signed his paperwork with Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
Anthony signed a one-year contract for $2.4 million.
In a phone interview from West Virginia with KPRC sports director Randy McIlvoy, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said he’s happy Anthony is on board.
“He’s going to bring a wealth of talent to Houston," D'Antoni said. "We are excited and ready to get it going to be honest with you."
“We know how good he is," the coach continues. "Our analytic people and how the team plays will determine how we play him. We have 10 or 11 guys that will rotate around. Nothing is predetermined, so we’ll have ideas, but we will go into camp, have ideas and make it work the best we can.”
“He’s one of the best scorers the league has ever had," D'Antoni said. "Father Time catches up with everybody but he has a lot he wants to prove. He’s only 34 years old, and we expect a lot out of him. He brings a lot of talent, and we’ll try to fit that in. It’s another piece to a really good team.”
“What he said in our meetings with him, (is) his desire to fit in, be a glue and help the team win," D'Antoni said. "When you have that like when teams (go) to USA basketball you play for the name on the front of the jersey and not the back. That’s what he wants to do and the guys on the team want to do. We are really excited to have him.”
Anthony has had a Hall-of-Fame career already but one thing he’s never done in the NBA is come off the bench.
D’Antoni said he is confident that if that happens, it won’t be a problem.
“I think it’s all to be determined and it’s part of the process," the coach said. "Eric Gordon did it and became (the) sixth man. Carmelo has been in (a) similar role with the Olympic team and one of the best all-time scorers in the Olympics. It’s a matter of getting the team to play together then whatever role you have you can flourish and be productive."