Ten games into his stint with the Houston Rockets, Carmelo Anthony is searching for a new team.
And it appears there's one waiting for him.
The 10-time All-Star will be "parting ways" with Houston after an unspecified "illness" kept him out of recent action and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey confirmed the two sides didn't make for an appropriate fit. While ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Anthony isn't likely to hit waivers in the immediate future, there's little doubt the former NBA scoring champion is headed elsewhere.
And as Wojnarowski noted Friday, the Puerto Rico national team wants Anthony to know he has "an open invitation" to join them.
"With his connection to Puerto Rico, his NBA stardom and his experiences, our fans would love it," Dallas Mavericks guard and national team veteran J.J. Barea told ESPN. "We tried a bunch to get him in the past, but of course nobody blamed him for playing for Team USA. But if he ever wants a chance to represent us, it would be awesome to have him."
Anthony is no stranger to Olympic basketball, as Barea mentioned. The longtime NBA guard has three gold medals and another bronze with Team USA -- a group for which he is the all-time scoring leader. Although he retired from international play in 2016, the former Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder star has obvious ties to Barea's home country, having been born of Puerto Rican descent and prioritizing the territory in charitable efforts, per Wojnarowski.
Anthony would need USA Basketball to grant him a waiver to play for Puerto Rico, which would be easily attainable ... There's no indication that Anthony ever plans to play for Puerto Rico, but federation president Yum Ramos is determined to extend him an invitation.
"I'm a big fan of Carmelo not only as a basketball player, but more importantly as one of our Puerto Rican heroes," Ramos told ESPN. "He and his foundation have done a lot for Puerto Rico. I think along with J.J. Barea, Carmelo could make a huge impact on the team and help lift the spirits of our country."
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "There's at least one team that really wants Carmelo Anthony after his exit from the Rockets"
Post a Comment