Carmelo Anthony trade to the Bulls leaves Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni frustrated
The 67-year-old Rockets boss is annoyed that the league office wasn’t open on Monday to process the Carmelo Anthony trade, which has cost him a player on his roster.
Both Chicago and Houston wanted to complete the deal on Monday, but the league office was closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
It is expected the deal will be completed on Tuesday, ESPN reports.
“It’s not right,” D’Antoni said.
"There's ways the league could have facilitated it."
The Rockets wanted to get Kenneth Faried in the lineup for their game against the Philadelphia 76ers and as a result terminated the 10-day contract of James Nunnally.
There are procedures in place for teams to trade players during national holidays.
But they are required to notify the league office of the terms of the possible trade by 6pm (ET) on the business day prior to the holiday.
As for Anthony’s future, the 34-year-old isn’t expected to remain at the Bulls for very long.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski believes Anthony will not play a game for Chicago and they are expected to waive him after the NBA trade deadline on 7 February.
“Carmelo Anthony will not play a game for the Bulls, but it is possible that franchise holds off on waiving him until the trade deadline, league sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski said.
“Bulls could include him in a one-for-one trade, but can't aggregate his contract in another deal.
“For Anthony, his best bet is waiting until the Feb. 7 trade deadline to find his next team.
“He can wait for roster spots to open, trades to happen, etc, that'll create the best opportunity for him.
“Anthony wants to find a place to contribute.”
Anthony hasn’t played in a game for Houston since the Rockets lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in November.
The 10-time All-Star had an abysmal night shooting the ball against his former team.
He finished the night with just two points, as he went for 1-for-11 and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
During his 10 games with the Rockets he averaged 13.4 points on 40.5 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from 3-point range.
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