NBA

Carmelo Anthony might force Jeremy Lin out of another town

Jeremy Lin could be in Carmelo Anthony’s way once again.

The Houston Rockets, long linked as a potential destination for Anthony, began their efforts to clear enough money from under their salary cap to make a run at a max player by agreeing to send Omer Asik to the New Orleans Pelicans for a 2015 first-round pick.

Now, in order to sign Anthony when the free agency period opens on July 1, the Rockets will need to rid themselves of Lin, who went to Houston, partly because of Anthony’s reported dissatisfaction with the “Linsanity” craze that swept New York while Anthony was injured in 2012.

Before Lin signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Rockets, it was nearly impossible to believe the Knicks would allow the biggest phenomenon in the NBA to leave town, but Anthony’s supposed unhappiness sharing the spotlight with Lin, and the duo’s clashing styles on the court, allowed the unthinkable to occur.

While negotiations were ongoing in 2012, Anthony remarked: “It’s up to the organization to say that they want to match that ridiculous contract.”

Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin together with the Knicks in 2012AP

During the height of Linsanity, the Knicks went 7-1 with Anthony injured to move into playoff contention, but the team then dropped eight of their next 10 games when the forward returned, with Anthony’s isolation-heavy offensive attack quickly killing the incredible and unforgettable run. In eight games with Anthony out, Lin averaged 25 points. When he returned, Lin’s average dropped to 16.2 points over the next 10 games.

“Let’s be frank about it,” Anthony told USA Today in 2012. “When it comes to the Knicks, we’re talking about one particular point in time. We’re talking about the whole ‘Linsanity’ thing. That’s when it started. That’s when it started to escalate as far as people saying I was selfish.”

“Lin came and we started winning games and then we started losing games, and they could only point to one thing, which is me, the leader of the team,” Anthony said. “They’re not going to point to Amar’e. They’re not going to point to Iman Shumpert. They’re going to point to me. I accept that. It doesn’t bother me.”

Though Anthony has several outside suitors, including the Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks, the Rockets remain a strong contender because of a roster, including Dwight Howard and James Harden, ready to contend for a title.

Thanks to his former teammate, Lin may be on the move once again.