JVG: Melo joining Rockets is not a 'natural fit'

Adding Carmelo Anthony to a talented core that already includes James Harden and Chris Paul would seem like a no-brainer, but a former Rockets and Knicks head coach thinks otherwise.

Jeff Van Gundy, the adorably grumpy ESPN analyst, shared some doubts about the revamped Houston Rockets roster to Marc Berman of the New York Post.

"I think they have a lot on their plate integrating Paul and Harden," Van Gundy said. "They’re not going to be better offensively than they were last year. They were the second-best team in the league offensively. I thought they had defined roles everyone knew.

"(Head coach) Mike D'Antoni did a fabulous job getting them to play on a consistent basis. The Chris Paul trade, there's going to be some ups and downs, but they're better equipped to win in the playoffs. Particularly if Harden has a bad night, they still have a superior player to play through."

Van Gundy doesn't see how adding Anthony would improve the Rockets' defense, which is a greater area of concern than their already potent offense.

Houston ranked second in offensive rating last season, but ranked 18th on defense. Anthony is an incredibly gifted scorer, but the 33-year-old was never known as a stopper.

"Their improvement is going to have to be defensively. So I'm interested in the Carmelo thing. I don't necessarily see it as a natural fit.

"Unfortunately, what they need to combat Golden State is a two-way Hall of Fame-caliber player, and they got one in Paul. So Anthony certainly is a Hall of Fame player, but whether he gives them great defensive versatility. … It is where Ryan Anderson struggled, in pick-and-rolls. So maybe Anthony will be more versatile defensively than Anderson, and maybe that’s the upgrade there."

This might just be much ado about nothing. There are still several hurdles to be cleared before Anthony can relocate from New York to Houston.