After winning 65 games and falling just one game shy of reaching the NBA Finals last season, the Houston Rockets hoped that the offseason addition of Carmelo Anthony would be the final piece of a championship puzzle.

But disagreements over his role and struggles in the system of head coach Mike D'Antoni led to a disappointing tenure in Houston for Anthony, who was released by the team on Thursday. In 10 games, Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game - both considerably low than his career average of 24 and 6.5, respectively.

D'Antoni spoke with reports to talk about Anthony's short time in Houston, explaining that they struck out after trying to go for it all.

"We tried to hit a home run and it didn’t work out," D'Antoni said, via Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. "It wasn’t fair for him as a Hall of Fame player to play in a role that wasn’t good for him. It wasn’t a fit," he added, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

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Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Indeed, it wasn't the right fit. Anthony just couldn't find his groove in an offense that is built around reigning MVP James Harden and another future Hall of Famer in ageless point guard Chris Paul.

The Rockets got off to a sluggish start - as Paul received a two-game suspension for an altercation with the Lakers while Harden nursed a hamstring injury. But following a 1-5 start, Houston has rallied to win six of its last eight games - including a 107-86 home win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

What This Means

D'Antoni was being kind and honest about Anthony's struggles in Houston, showing respect by not throwing the perennial All-Star under the bus. Anthony also didn't fit in with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season - perhaps a sign that he's near the end of his prime.

Anthony is a lock for the Hall of Fame, but the last thing missing is a championship ring. It's unlikely that the Warriors would sign him, but perhaps a playoff contender like the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers or Toronto Raptors could take a look at adding Anthony.

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