Carmelo Anthony's time with Rockets comes to end 13 games into season

HOUSTON – Carmelo Anthony's short stop in Houston is coming to an end 13 games into the 2018-19 season.

Anthony has been away from the team for the past few games with what the team called an "illness," and on Thursday, Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey said the team "will be parting ways" with Anthony.

'Melo averaged 31.2 minutes in 10 games with the Rockets. He shot just over 37 percent from the field, including about 34 percent on 3-pointers. He scored over 20 points in three of the games, including a high of 28 in a 119-111 win over the Nets on Nov. 2. He scored less than 10 points in six games, including a low of 2 points on 1-for-11 shooting in a 98-80 loss to the Thunder on Nov. 8, his last game with the Rockets.

Anthony signed a 1-year, $2.4 million deal with Houston on Aug. 13 after clearing waivers after his release from the Atlanta Hawks.

Reports recently surfaced that the 15-year NBA veteran's camp was searching for the best fit for the forward.

“After much internal discussion, the Rockets will be parting ways with Carmelo Anthony and we are working toward a resolution,” Morey said. “Carmelo had a tremendous approach during his time with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D’Antoni gave him. The fit we envisioned when Carmelo chose to sign with the Rockets has not materialized, therefore we thought it was best to move on as any other outcome would have been unfair to him.”

Anthony was the third overall draft pick by Denver in the 2003 NBA Draft and is a 10-time All-Star.

"We tried to hit a home run and it didn't work out," D'Antoni said.

It was his initial comment to the horde of reporters gathered outside the locker room after the team announced it would be parting ways with Anthony.

"You know, I just thank him for his professionalism. It was good," D'Antoni said. "We tried everything we could to make it work, and it just didn't work out."

'Melo -- a 10-time All-Star -- lasted just 10 games with Houston, who brought him in at the end of the offseason on a veteran's minimum contract.

Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds with the Rockets, but shot just 32.8 percent from three-point range, and 68.2 percent from the free-throw line.

D'Antoni acknowledged that Anthony's unique skillset just didn't fit in with the Rockets' style of play.

"It probably wasn't conducive to his game. He's trying to make the necessary sacrifices, and it wasn't fair to him as a Hall of Fame player to play in a way that wasn't good for him, wasn't good for us," D'Antoni said.