The Indiana Pacers should avoid signing Carmelo Anthony at all costs

Carmelo Anthony’s time with the Houston Rockets has come to an end. But don’t get any ideas, Indiana Pacers fans. The blue and gold should not sign Melo.

The biggest news in the NBA during the Indiana Pacers five-day vacation is is the news surrounding Carmelo Anthony. After joining the Houston Rockets this summer, Anthony was expected to help James Harden and co. by being a spark off the bench in H-Town.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t panned out. Carmelo Anthony has played decently when compared to his current standards, but the Rockets limped out to a start far below their expectations. Anthony is a low impact player well beyond his heyday, so the Rockets decided to move on from him:

Anthony only played 10 games in Houston, and he averaged 13.4 points per game. If that is all you look at, you could argue that his scoring could help the Indiana Pacers.

But let’s get in front of this and stop it: Melo would be a useless player on the Pacers and might hurt the team more than he could help.

While Melo can occasionally put in a few points, that is about all he can contribute to a team at this stage in his career. He is a ball-stopper, meaning when passes come his way, he doesn’t often throw it to someone else. This season, he is averaging .6 assists per 36 minutes. That is brutally bad. The Pacers already struggle with too much iso-ball at times, and Melo would only make that problem worse.

Additionally, Melo’s defense is… putrid. Let’s start with a reference point. Doug McDermott, whose defense has been bad for the Indiana Pacers, had a defensive box plus-minus of -2.1 this season. Carmelo? -2.6. The difference is that McDermott has a +2.0 in the same stat on offense, while Anthony has a -2.6. McDermott, who has been underwhelming for Indiana, has been far more impactful than Melo this season.

Melo could fill a role of being a veteran with tons of experience, but when actually playing on the court, he would be a hindrance to the Indiana Pacers. Additionally, he would take up a roster spot, which would bar the Pacers from signing a useful veteran on the buyout market or promoting Edmond Sumner‘s two-way contract. That alone should encourage the Pacers to stay away.

Make no mistake: Melo has had an illustrious career and he is a future hall-of-famer. Him being waived by the Rockets shouldn’t take away anything from his legacy. But at this point in his career, he just doesn’t help teams win games. The Indiana Pacers are no exception. They should not sign him.