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When James Harden was asked on Media Day what makes him confident that Carmelo Anthony will work with the Rockets, his answer was straight forward: “Playing alongside me and Chris (Paul).”
James Harden what makes him confident @carmeloanthony will work with the #Rockets: "Playing alongside me and Chris."
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) September 24, 2018
Harden did not tread lightly all Media Day when asked how Anthony was going to be successful with the team. He displayed the same mentality that the organization has had when adding key, yet somehow-controversial, pieces like coach Mike D’Antoni and Chris Paul over the years. They believe that their method and personnel give anyone a great opportunity to flourish and contribute.
And Harden firmly believes that the same will come for Melo, saying that it will be a “breeze” for Anthony.
“There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for him- catch-and-shoot opportunities,” Harden said about Anthony in the offense. “He’s going to get a lot of open shots that that he probably hasn’t had in a long time.”
"There's gonna be a lot of opportunities for him. Catch-and-shoot opportunities." - James Harden on Carmelo Anthony. Says he'll have a lot of open opportunities he hasn't had in a long time. #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) September 24, 2018
Judging from his style of play and how quick he was to leave, it was evident that Anthony wasn’t in the best situation for him in Oklahoma City. Now, he’s with a team on the brink of an NBA Finals, and he’s completely aware of what that means for him.
“He’s like a little kid again. He’s happy,” Harden said of Anthony. “We got the same feeling from Chris last year.” He added that both Anthony and Paul said, “I’ve never been in a situation like this.”
It was also made clear that there are no issues within the team itself. Harden had great things to say about the chemistry, and egos seem like they will be a non-issue this season.
“If you play your role best to your ability every single night, things will go well for you.” pic.twitter.com/9fYhO47Zxh
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) September 24, 2018
“We’re not having a meeting on defining guys’ roles.” Harden said. “Everyone knows what their role is. If you play your role to the best of your ability every single night, great things happen for you and great things happen for the team.”
Gerald Green, the presser before, didn’t mince words with how roles are playing a huge part in the team’s chemistry this offseason.
“Everybody knows who the leaders are: 13 and 3,” Green said. “Everybody else is going to fall in line, If they don’t fall in line, that’s why I’m here.”
This is great to hear for fans that had worries about Anthony coming in and potentially ruining the momentum from last year. The team still has one goal: to win a championship, and they know they’ll have to play as a unit to do so.
Also, Harden is really tired of hearing he had a good year.
Harden said the goal is to win the championship, adding that when you get to the West Finals, you hear all summer that you had a good year or a great season. "I'm tired of hearing that sh**," said Harden with a laugh.
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) September 24, 2018