Houston, We Have A Melo

Carmelo Anthony has finally made his elusive decision. One that would determine the fate of the upcoming 2018-19 NBA season and he did it at a perfect time. Carmelo Anthony has made his official move to the Houston Rockets.

The news broke out a few days ago as reports speculated that Melo would be indeed heading to Houston and it was only on Monday that Melo signed his one year deal that worth $2,3 million. Yes, Carmelo will play for the Rockets for only one year and it’s only until next season he will be an unrestricted free agent…again.

IMAGE CREDIT: NY DAILY NEWS

But what does this mean for Melo and the Rockets? A one year deal for a 10 time All Star? Well to put it to simple terms, the Rockets are putting this to trial. To see if the addition of Melo will truly strengthen the Rockets and make them a true contender in the already heavily stacked Western Conference.

And who can blame the Rockets for dishing out a one year contract, they want to see if Melo can be someone you can count especially when you want to eliminate the Golden State Warriors and make your way to the NBA Finals, possibly the championship. And believe it or not we believe Carmelo Anthony will rise to the occasion.

Melo is no scrub but he isn’t the same superstar many rave about since his prime days in the Denver Nuggets as well as his early days with the New York Knicks. Oklahoma City was just a wishful spell with him combining with Paul George and then MVP Russell Westbrook but it was just a mediocre team that couldn’t even make to the second round of the Playoffs.

IMAGE CREDIT: SPORTING NEWS

So what’s benefitting about Rockets? For starters, Melo will be playing with his best friend Chris Paul whom many predict will bring out the best of Carmelo WE HAVEN’T SEEN YET and he teams up with another recipient of the MVP award, James Harden along with the mastermind of the three point play, Mike D’Antoni and he gets a chance to play with a team that ACTUALLY make it to the Western Conference Finals and knock out the reigning champions in the Golden State Warriors.

Anybody can actually figure out that Melo joining the Rockets could be the best decision he’s made in his whole career.

IMAGE CREDIT: USA TODAY

However questions still remain as to whether Melo will come off the bench and if him and D’Antoni will actually get along and bury the hatchet they had back in New York. We just hope that Rockets will be a fruitful team for Carmelo as we are rooting to see him make it to the Conference Finals.

Carmelo has already signed the contract and is ready to don the legendary Rockets uniform. All that is left is for him to actually play and represent the city of Houston. Chris Paul must be ecstatic to play alongside his best buddy.

The NBA Offseason is halfway from being over as the start of the season commences on October the 18th. There are moves still to be made and The Baseline had got you covered.

What To Expect This Month: May

We already on the fifth month of the year, May and basketball isnt’t showing any signs of slowing down as The Baseline will keep you in the know of what’s going down this month.

#ThisMonthsMVP

IMAGE CREDIT: NBA.COM

After some time during April, picking May’s MVP was difficult because we want to bring you someone that will highlight this month and who better to do that than Houston Rockets star, James Harden.

#NBAPlayoffs Continue

IMAGE CREDIT: SPORTING NEWS

With the new month comes the new round and the NBA Playoffs are on the second round. Follow us on Instagram @thebaseline_za and Twitter @on_offthecourt and Facebook @TheBaselineZA to keep up with scores and updates.

Local Basketball

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We will try our outmost best to cover local South African basketball as the Basketball National League is upon its return. We will be discussing basketball in South Africa so stay close to The Baseline.

This month is an exciting month for basketball and the best place to follow it is of course where basketball begins, The Baseline.

An Unanimous Bearded MVP

The last unanimous MVP we saw was in 2016 when Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Not many people were surprised as there no other player that could compete with Steph for the prestigious individual award. 2017 saw a change in that as it was a tight race between James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and due to votes, Westbrook prevailed as the MVP. What about this year? Is anything different? Well this year is a mix of 2016 and 2017. A unanimous MVP in a candidate of last years MVP race, James Harden

But first things first, we should already start applauding the other MVP candidates; LeBron James, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan and Stephen Curry.
Alright back to the main topic. James Harden has been setting the NBA alight in a way similar to how Steph and Westbrook did with mind-blowing, unbelievable performances. And it’s not like he’s the only hot handed scoring machine in the Houston Rockets, he actually shares the ball with the rest of his teammates and get this…HIS DEFENSE HAS FINALLY IMPROVED! It’s a big thing because the man’s defense has been his weakest point which is now better.

It’s bad enough that Harden is on top of the MVP race ladder but for him to also be leading the Rockets to the top of the Western Conference is what’s making him a strong candidate to be the Association’s second unanimous MVP in history. Never mind the fact that this is Harden’s third spell at being in the MVP conversations and that it’s “still anybody’s game” even when we clearly know who the MVP of this season is but for the fact that Harden has remained in his MVP form and has improved his form is what’s making him a true Valuable Player this season.
Almost all season long, Harden has been leading in scoring and in the top five for assists and field goal percentage which is pretty much expected considering that he knows how to shoot with that dangerously lethal left hand that will give teams headaches and sleepless nights come Playoff time. But in the regular season, James Harden has been making it all look easy with his savvy moves and simple finishing that reminds us especially young players that doing it simple is the best way to get things done.

Thanks to Harden, the Houston Rockets have passed the 50-game winning mark and have already clinched Playoff spot and right now they are having the best hottest game winning streak in the whole league as they’ve gone 17 games undefeated. The only team that snapped the streak were the Toronto Raptors but knowing James Harden he will keep blazing the other remaining teams they’ve got left.
But whether the Rockets keep their streak all season long or they eventually lose 10 games, James Harden is clearer the Most Valuable Player and I honestly believe there is no other player than compete with him at this point. Although we were supposed to see a tight race between him and Giannis Antetokounmpo but we can only guess we’ll see that next season.
This year will see The Beard finally becoming a MVP
The Real MVP!
IMAGE CREDITS:
HEADER: http://www.nba.com/article/2018/02/02/mvp-ladder-week-16-houston-rockets-james-harden-clears-path-trophy
IMAGE 1: https://www.foxsports.com.au/basketball/nba/harden-and-houston-down-clippers-okc-steal-one-in-ot-thriller-vs-dallas-mavericks/news-story/6165410d5e089a30885f37d37f25af8a?nk=2c30eb7928d6dbd412d913632cecc84c-1520685702
IMAGE 2: https://www.thedreamshake.com/2018/3/6/17084124/james-harden-the-greatest-isolation-player-of-all-time
IMAGE 3: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2762838-forget-everything-youve-heard-about-chris-paul-and-james-hardens-shortcomings

The Season of The Beard

When James Harden first burst into the scene in the NBA, many knew him as the 6^th man of the once highly talented young Oklahoma City Thunder team that composed of the scoring dominant Kevin Durant the rising force of Russell Westbrook and the shot stopper in Serge Ibaka. Come 2013-14 season, Harden was shipped to the Houston Rockets, where he would get to be the man of the team…supported by Dwight Howard. Fast forward to 2017, James Harden is not just the man of the Rockets, but he’s the franchise, the face and the MVP…well to the Houston faithful, he’s their MVP.

The Beard has had two shortcomings of winning the prestigious MVP award. Firstly in 2015, he fell short to Stephen Curry and in June of this year he lost to his former teammate, Russell Westbrook. He may have not won the award just yet but this season he’s just proving to all of us that he really is an MVP…not a candidate but surely a player that has to win the award. If he does not win the MVP in at least 3 years, I WILL RIOT!

The thing that makes James Harden so special to watch is that he’s so finesse and accurate at what does…mainly offense…okay only offense. But what matters is that The Beard converts buckets for the Rockets at every opportunity he gets whether it’s an open three or an open lane to drive in but James Harden gets buckets, each and every time he touches the ball.
But The Beard isn’t just the scorer, he’s also the facilitator especially considering that the primary facilitator Chris Paul has been out for quite some time. We haven’t got to see what Paul can really do for the Rockets but it is certain that Paul can and will make James Harden a much better player especially for moments when The Beard is being heavily locked down and James can easily find the space to receive a pass, shoot or draw the attention of defenders to cough out to his teammates for their open shots or easy layups/dunks. Many may think that CP3’s presence will limit The Beard’s time on the ball but I beg to differ. Between CP3 and Harden, James Harden is one to impact a game from the moment he takes point. I’m not saying that Harden is a better player than CP3 but Harden has the bigger advantage, his height and his finesse.
The Houston Rockets are at the top of the Western Conference and that may come to a shock especially for the ones who looking at the Golden State Warriors but nobody should ever forget what James Harden does for his team to at a high position in the West. Like earlier stated, The Beard isn’t just a scorer but he’s a facilitator. Every game play starts with him and if there’s an open man or a screen happening somewhere, Harden knows when not to hog the ball. Since Mike D’Antoni’s takeover at the coaching helm, The Beard has been dishing out more assists than he’s ever done and this season he’s nowhere near hogging the ball completely. And one other thing that makes James Harden so fun to watch is his vision for his teammates to get the ball and collect buckets themselves.

James Harden is a bona fide MVP and this season he’s proving that in such spectacular fashion. So far he’s leading the league in scoring with 538 points to his name and also leading in assists with 168 assists to his name. So far he’s averaging 31.6 points, 4.8 rebounds & 9.9 assists. Like I said, bona fide MVP
So it’s clear that the man is already having a spectacular season, not because of his stat line but of how he continues to play the game of basketball in such a fun and amazing way that you will want to get a basketball and “Euro-step” your way to the basket. Believe me when I say, this is the season to FEAR THE BEARD!

IMAGE CREDITS:
Header – http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/67/37/75/14548832/3/premium_landscape.jpg

Image 1 – https://cdn.nba.net/nba-drupal-prod/styles/landscape_1045w/s3/2017-10/20171009_James_Harden_NN.jpg?itok=1n1Jupfw

Image 2 – https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/james-harden-chris-paul.jpg

Image 3 – https://usatthunderwire.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/usatsi_10341632.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1