When the Rockets chose to part ways with future Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony after just 10 games of the 2018-19 regular season, the move seemed abrupt to many outside the Houston organization.

But as time has passed, reports have slowly emerged that the Rockets were aware for weeks beforehand that Anthony might not be a fit.

In October, a story by ESPN‘s Baxter Holmes said Anthony was struggling with Houston’s switch-heavy defense in training camp. At 34 years old, it was evident that Anthony didn’t move as well laterally as he once did.

Now, on Thursday, a new report from The Athletic‘s Sam Amick indicates that Anthony had problems on both ends of the court in a scrimmage matchup against Rockets defensive ace P.J. Tucker.

Amick writes:

Say what you will about the abrupt way it all came to an end, but Rockets sources say it was painfully clear in that 2018 training camp that Anthony would have a hard time remaining in the rotation. There was one practice, in particular, that seemed to prove that point: Sources say forward P.J. Tucker was pitted in a scrimmage matchup against Anthony to get a real sense of where his game stood, and the outcome was so one-sided that a gassed Anthony eventually headed for the sideline in white-flag fashion. Their concern was elevated right then, and the fact that Gerald Green and Gary Clark would quickly gain favor with Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni soon thereafter would eventually play a part in Anthony’s demise as well.

In the 10 regular-season games before Houston chose to part ways, Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 29.4 minutes on just 40.5% shooting from the field. His defense was problematic, and the Rockets went 4-6 as a team during that stretch.

Anthony then spent more than a full calendar year without a team before recently signing with the Portland Trail Blazers in November 2019.

Now exclusively a power forward in his 17th NBA season, Anthony’s numbers with the Trail Blazers — 15.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in 31.2 minutes, headlined by a 40.6% shooting clip — are quite similar to those he had in Houston. According to Basketball-Reference data entering Thursday’s games, Anthony’s defensive rating had improved only slightly from 112 to 111, while his offensive rating plunged from 103 to 95.

Since signing Anthony, the Blazers are 5-6 in 11 games, which is only a half-game better than the 4-6 mark the Rockets had to start last season. At this point, it seems clear that many of Anthony’s problems are simply due to the traditional aging curve — as opposed to issues with a specific system or coach, as many wondered after his brief tenure in Houston.

Anthony’s Blazers visit Houston on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in what would be his first game back at Toyota Center since the split. Based on Thursday’s report, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Rockets enlist Tucker to guard him for significant periods of that game.