Carmelo Anthony on Potentially Coming Off Bench for Rockets: 'Let It Play Out'

A year ago, Carmelo Anthony laughed at the idea of coming off the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The question now is if he'll embrace that role or push for a starting job after inking a one-year deal with the Houston Rockets on Monday. 

"Let's just let it play out, though," Anthony told TMZ Sports on Tuesday. "I don't even know what's going on. I just signed—let it start first."

Anthony started all 78 games in which he appeared for the Thunder last season, and he made it clear at year's end that serving as a sixth man didn't appeal to him moving forward. 

"I'm not sacrificing no bench role," he said in April, according to MassLive.com's Fred Katz. "That's out the question."

Looking ahead, Anthony will reportedly be afforded a shot to prove he deserves a starting gig alongside Chris Paul and James Harden. 

According to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, "Anthony will have a chance to compete for a starting spot in training camp, but could ultimately come off the bench based on what Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni decides is best for the team."

"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," D'Antoni told USA Today's Sam Amick. "And again, if everybody is on board, then it'll be, 'Hey, this is where we're the best. This is how we can win the championship.' I don’t know yet, but we’ll make sure we get it right as good as we can."