Cleveland Cavaliers: Should they pursue Carmelo Anthony?

Cleveland Cavaliers</a> have gotten off to a disappointing start to the 2018-19 NBA season. Hopes for a playoff berth are quickly dwindling and the general fanbase has already <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/09/cleveland-cavaliers-3-reasons-tanking-bad-idea/">shifted into tank mode</a>. The potential free agency of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/anthoca01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Carmelo Anthony</a> is something that the team should be looking at.</p> <p>Anthony has had a rough few seasons for himself. After a catastrophic ending to his one-year stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Melo decided to sign with the Houston Rockets in hopes of clearing the dirt off of his name. Sadly, recent rumors are speculating that <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25249228/houston-rockets-considering-cutting-carmelo-anthony-gm-calls-reports-unfair">Carmelo’s time with Houston may almost be over. </a></p> <p>If Melo becomes a free agent, the Cavaliers could be one of the teams looking to sign him. Of course, this is assuming that he has any interest in joining Cleveland, which has not been confirmed nor reported yet.</p> <p>Regardless, here is an evaluation of why the Cavaliers should or should not sign Carmelo Anthony.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Why they should sign Carmelo Anthony </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_330125" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-large wp-image-330125" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1056595396-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">(Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h3>Why they should sign Carmelo Anthony</h3> <p>Let’s start off by talking about why the Cleveland Cavaliers would even consider signing Carmelo Anthony. Melo’s reputation has taken a massive hit over the last years and is said to be the root cause behind the downfalls of both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.</p> <p>Despite this, Carmelo has actually still been playing above league average. In the last two seasons combined, Melo is averaging 15.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the field. This type of production is nothing to laugh at, even if the popular take has been to hate on Anthony.</p> <p>Furthermore, Carmelo is known for going to work in the mid-range. The 2-point shot from 16-23 feet has taken up 27.8 percent of all of his career shot attempts. This makes up the highest percentage of any shot attempt for Melo outside of attempts at the rim.</p> <p>In his 16 year career, mid-range shots have accounted for at least 25 percent of his total shot attempts in every season except for three. Carmelo has shot below this mark in each of the last two seasons. This means his woes could simply be chalked up to him playing in the wrong systems for his play style.</p> <p>By coming to the Cavaliers, he would no longer be forced into a system that doesn’t fit his play style. In fact, the Cavs don’t even have a system in place yet. Giving a pure scorer like Melo the freedom to operate again could be great for both parties.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Why they shouldn't sign Carmelo Anthony </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_330127" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-large wp-image-330127" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1057124310-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">(John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h3>Why they shouldn’t sign Carmelo Anthony</h3> <p>There are a few reasons as to why they shouldn’t consider signing Carmelo Anthony. For one, he may not even want to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers. There is nothing particularly appealing about this team for Melo, especially at this stage of his career.</p> <p>If Melo were somehow interested in joining the team, would he even be a welcomed addition? The Cavaliers are currently attempting to rebuild in the aftermath of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">LeBron James</a>‘ recent departure. Is signing a 33-year-old former star really a good idea?</p> <p>Cleveland’s main goal should be getting younger and creating a strong foundation for the future. Acquiring Anthony would accomplish none of these goals. In fact, it might even halt the development of their current prospects such as <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sextoco01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Collin Sexton</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/osmande01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Cedi Osman</a>.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated for 2017-18)" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2018/09/21/nba-50-greatest-players-time/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/12/cleveland-cavaliers-pursue-carmelo-anthony/"https://hoopshabit.com/2018/09/21/nba-50-greatest-players-time/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated for 2017-18) </a> </div> </div> <p>Outside of his potential to be a consistent scorer, something the Cavaliers are lacking, Melo brings relatively no value to this roster. He isn’t a complete wash-up, but he isn’t taking them anywhere notable. Therefore, there is no point in attempting to bring Anthony to the Land.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">