Carmelo Anthony is looking to make the game fun again in his first season with the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Anthony is set to enter his 16th professional season, with the 34-year-old having his vision set on winning an NBA championship.
“Just enjoy the game and play basketball … I’ve been doing it for a long time,” Anthony said. “I still know how to do it. I’ve just got to make it fun. The game just has to be fun.”
The Rockets are expected to be a championship contender this season, with the team featuring a deep bench, star center and All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and James Harden. The level of production Anthony gives will help determine how far the team gets in its journey.
“He’s a great basketball player, so we just try to make it optimal for him and us,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It’s always a little bit of a challenge, but if you had asked me the same question (last year) about James and Chris I would have said the same thing: ‘Well, it looks good. I’m excited.’ So same thing with him.”
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor will undergo an MRI on Monday after suffering an ankle injury during Sunday’s preseason game, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Okafor left the arena on crutches with his ankle taped.
- Over 25 teams expressed a level of interest in Julius Randle during his brief time as a free agent, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Randle eventually chose to sign a two-year deal with the Pelicans.
- Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff hopes Garrett Temple‘s impact on the team doesn’t go unnoticed, Drew Hill of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. “I’m used to (going unnoticed). It’s normal to me,” Temple said. “But, I’m glad that (Bickerstaff) sees my value. The people in the locker room and the people in this organization, at this point, those are the only ones that matter.”