Fansided

30 biggest questions for the 2018-19 NBA season

By Hunter Kuffel

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 12: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors holds up the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 12, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 12: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors holds up the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 12, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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28. Can the Rockets improve with Melo?

The Rockets were a game away from the NBA Finals last season, and conventional wisdom has it that they’ll have a hard time getting that close again. Losing Trevor Ariza and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is certainly a blow to the league’s sixth-stingiest defense. Replacing them with James Ennis and Carmelo Anthony does little to soften it.

Houston will need someone to step up if they want to avoid a step back defensively. However, they should be able to recreate the offensive firepower of last season without much trouble.

James Harden and Chris Paul should still be amazing orchestrators, and the floor spacing should still be solid despite the departures of Ariza, Mbah a Moute, and Ryan Anderson. Eric Gordon is excellent, and Melo is a fine 3-point shooter, or at least he’s guarded like one. With those two along with Ennis, Gerald Green and PJ Tucker, The Rockets should have enough shooting to keep the other team honest while Harden or Paul cooks.

And let’s just say MAYBE Melo is fine with coming off the bench. Doing so would very likely lead to a mini-resurgence, seeing as he’d be doing Melo things against backups on offense and guarding those same backups on defense.

Remember the first round of the 2017 playoffs when the Jazz were playing the Clippers and the Jazz were in danger of going down 3-1 and so Seven-Time All-Star Joe Johnson just went ahead and decided that he should just not miss and win the game by seven? What’s to stop Melo from doing that for the Rockets? An entire regular season of drama and ego and petty fights against the coach that he more or less kicked out of New York, you say? Uhh, next slide.