NBA Buyout Market: 3 reasons the Los Angeles Lakers should sign Carmelo Anthony

#1 Anthony's demise has been exaggerated

Carmelo Anthony most recently played for the Houston Rockets

Over the last 16 months, Carmelo Anthony has been heavily criticized by fans and analysts alike. Anthony's reluctance to come off the bench, poor defense and fading offensive powers have all been targeted for criticism, although when looking over Melo's stats from this period, the 10-time All-Star's demise has been greatly exaggerated.

During his 12 month spell in an Oklahoma City uniform, Anthony averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while also accepting a catch and shoot role on the wing. Even during his brief 10 game spell from Houston's bench, Anthony managed 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds, while shooting 36% from beyond the arc.

Evidently, Anthony is no longer the same offensive force that won the NBA scoring title with the Knicks back in 2013, however, the 34-year-old can still provide an offensive threat from the bench that the Lakers are currently lacking. At this point, the organization has nothing to lose in handing the veteran a contract until the summer, and Anthony could be re-energized as he seeks to prove his doubters wrong.