D'Antoni: Melo can fit with Rockets 'if everybody is committed'

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni isn't concerned about Carmelo Anthony's ability to fit in with his new team - as long as everybody involved buys in.

Despite a rocky relationship when D'Antoni coached Anthony on the New York Knicks, the 67-year-old is excited to work with the veteran scorer in Houston alongside the superstar backcourt duo of James Harden and Chris Paul.

"We've just got to make sure we don’t get too far away from taking threes and layups and foul shots," D'Antoni told Sam Amick of USA Today. "It’ll be a little bit of a learning process. But again, if everybody is committed, then I have no doubt it can work. Whether we can all get it to work? We'll see."

D'Antoni added that previous tensions with Anthony were a product of unrealistic expectations with the Knicks, and insisted the two will start fresh in Houston.

"In New York when they gave away half the team (in the trade that brought Anthony to the Knicks) and everybody expected us to win a championship, it really wasn't realistic," D'Antoni said. "It put a lot of pressure on everybody, and it kind of burst the pipes."

The Rockets, who play a style that's heavy on 3-pointers, pace, and space, will surely be hoping Anthony can rebound from the worst year of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, and that he buys into his new role, whether he's starting or coming off the bench.

"I don’t know, and that’s something that we’ll have to work out," D'Antoni said of Anthony's eventual role in Houston. "All I know is that we'll try different combos - preseason, early season, and the good thing is that with analytics and with gut feelings and coaches and players, we'll figure out what is the best way to play."