Is Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James MVP frontrunner?

[Orangeyes]

At this point I'm going with my home boy

1. Knicks are undefeated

2. Head to head the Melo led Knicks trounced the Miami Heat even though NY had two starters on IR.

3. Melo is playing defense like he means it which is turning the whole team on. It doesn't hurt that all of the senior citizens the Knicks aquired are defense-minded

NBA power rankings: Is Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James MVP frontrunner?

Related

Carmelo Anthony Happy Mike D'Antoni Will Coach the Lakers

From what I'm hearing Buss' son had a problem with Phil the Thrill and it got in the way of a deal getting done with him. This move may make Steve Nash happy but was it the best move for the Laker's. Time will tell.

 

[joct]

I root for Carmelo as much as anybody, and am hoping he has a great year. But I think it is way to early to even have the debate, just 2 weeks in to a 6 month season. On top of it, the undefeated tag is a little overrated in this case: NY has played only 4 games, with 3 at home, and 2 against the same team without their best player. Miami has played 8, with 4 on the road.

 

[MikeSU02]

Barring Lebron getting injured or deciding to play another sport for a challenge, he should win MVP again. No one is in his stratosphere. Carmelo, Durant, D12, Kobe - no one can touch his ability. Unless some of the voters get Lebron fatigue, like they did with MJ, then he should be the MVP.

 

[Knicks411]

Unless someone the voters get Lebron fatigue, like they did with MJ, then he should be the MVP

Yup, unless they get tired of him he has the next 3 or 4 pretty much locked up.

 

[JrodCuse]

I love Carmelo but Lebron is just a monster. Look at his statline last night. 38 points (32 in the 2nd half, 16 3rd quarter, 16 4th quarter) 10 rebounds and 6 assists and ZERO turnovers.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Didnt see this post. Lebron won't play enough minutes to get it this year. The Heat will rest him. This is Melo's to lose this year...

Durant and Westbrook will cancel each other out. Kobe/Howard will cancel their chances out. I don't think CP3 will have good enough numbers.

 

[JrodCuse]

Ok so lets just compare stats on Lebron and Melo and take away team records/etc since it is so early in the season.

Melo - 4 games played - 35.8 MPG, 44% FG, 34.8% 3PT, 75% FT, 7.3 REB (1.8 OFF REB), 1.5 AST, 1.3 BLK, 0.8 STL, 2 TO, 27.3 PPG - Very good stats over the first 4 games of the season. FG% is a bit low and that should hopefully improve.

Lebron - 8 games played - 34.5 MPG, 55% FG, 52% 3PT, 64.9% FT, 10 REB (1.9 OFF REB), 6.1 AST, 0.8 BLK, 0.8 STL, 1.8 TO, 23.9 PPG - Double the sample size, his FG and 3PT FG are very high, his FT very low. Better rebounds and assists, same steals, better TO, lower blocks and lower PPG.

I guess they're about even so far at this point.

 

[Knicks411]

Ok so lets just compare stats on Lebron and Melo and take away team records/etc since it is so early in the season.

Melo - 4 games played - 35.8 MPG, 44% FG, 34.8% 3PT, 75% FT, 7.3 REB (1.8 OFF REB), 1.5 AST, 1.3 BLK, 0.8 STL, 2 TO, 27.3 PPG - Very good stats over the first 4 games of the season. FG% is a bit low and that should hopefully improve.

Lebron - 8 games played - 34.5 MPG, 55% FG, 52% 3PT, 64.9% FT, 10 REB (1.9 OFF REB), 6.1 AST, 0.8 BLK, 0.8 STL, 1.8 TO, 23.9 PPG - Double the sample size, his FG and 3PT FG are very high, his FT very low. Better rebounds and assists, same steals, better TO, lower blocks and lower PPG.

I guess they're about even so far at this point.

Even though it's probably crazy to compare stats after this few games, I would disagree. I think Lebron is pretty easily ahead. Melo is scoring 3 more points per game, because he's taking more shots. Lebron has a 61% true shooting, Melo has a 55%. And Lebron is doing better in pretty much every other stat. Unless Carmelo has not just improved his D (think he's playing better on that end) but has become better than one of the best defenders in the league, I'm not seeing it.

Btw, Melo is playing really really well this year. This isn't a knock, if he he plays like this all year the knicks will be awesome. But Lebron is on a different level. He's averaging 24-10-6 and shooting 55% from the field!

 

[Orangeyes]

I would take Melo every time with the game on the line.

 

[Room 914]

I would take Melo every time with the game on the line.

He's just usually not good enough to get the game on the line, esp with this knicks team.

 

[Orangeyes]

He's just usually not good enough to get the game on the line, esp with this knicks team.

Cali?

 

[NineOneSeven]

This answer is easy-- Lebron James is a coward.

Oh, and he had 32 second half points the other night.

 

[Orangeyes]

The Knicks are 5-0......100%

The Heat is 6-2 .....667%

Melo is leading the league in scoring LeBron is 5th

ISportstimes writer Brian Ethridge says Melo has led the Knicks to #1 in the NBA power rankings

"Carmelo Anthony has successfully overtaken LeBron James to lead his team to the top spot in our coveted power rankings. We don't believe the Knicks are going to win the championship this season, but until they lose a game we would be disrespectful not to put them at the top of our list."

In this small snapshot of an 82 game season Carmelo is the league MVP.

Not saying he will be league MVP at the end of the year, just right now with 6% of the season gone he is ahead of LeBron.

Related

Knicks links: Should Amar'e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert return to starting lineup?

Matured 'Melo ready for a title run with Knicks

 

[Knicks411]

He hasn't been better than Lebron, even in the first few weeks of the season.

 

[moqui]

Yup, unless they get tired of him he has the next 3 or 4 pretty much locked up.

I'm not so sure about that . . . while Lebron is clearly the best player in the league - by a wide margin - it is conceivable that we could see a particular season in which one player is significantly more valuable to their team, like when Steve Nash beat out Kobe a few years back. On that criterion alone, I could see the possibility of aa Melo or a Chris Paul winning an MVP award, or maybe even Kevin Love in a future season.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

The NBA looked silly that year they gave D Rose the MVP and Lebron shut him down to the tune of 16% shooting in the 4th quarter of their playoff series. I just hope Melo can do better after he wins the MVP this year.

 

[Knicks411]

I'm not so sure about that . . . while Lebron is clearly the best player in the league - by a wide margin - it is conceivable that we could see a particular season in which one player is significantly more valuable to their team, like when Steve Nash beat out Kobe a few years back. On that criterion alone, I could see the possibility of aa Melo or a Chris Paul winning an MVP award, or maybe even Kevin Love in a future season.

I do kinda think it is inconceivable that someone will be more valuable to their team than Lebron. He's just that much better than everyone else. (Ok, inconceivable may be a bit of a stretch, but if he stays healthy, proabbly not)

You could definitely see a season like 2011, where Rose won the award even though Lebron was a better player, but I choke that up to voter fatigue more than anything else. (Also, the media is a sucker for a good story, an d Lebron was probably going to need to score 50 a game that year to win the MVP)

 

[br801]

This entire debate is pretty strange. It's the equivalent of speculating about the NFL MVP after one game, or the AL and NL MVPs in the middle of April.

 

[moqui]

I do kinda think it is inconceivable that someone will be more valuable to their team than Lebron. He's just that much better than everyone else. (Ok, inconceivable may be a bit of a stretch, but if he stays healthy, proabbly not)

the sample is very small, but if you look at 82games right now, you see that Bosh has arguably been more valuable to the Heat so far than has Lebron (of course, the same glance would indicate that Kidd has been more valuable to the Knicks than has Anthony).

the point is that the Heat will have two other top level stars to lean on over the course of the season. Melo is the only top level player on the Knicks. He's the whole show (apologies to RVD).

Don't get me wrong - I think Lebron is in a different universe as far as talent and I would vote for him yesterday today and tomorrow, but the case can be made that others will be more important to their individual teams, and for some voters that might be the determining factor.

 

[Gabjon]

the sample is very small, but if you look at 82games right now, you see that Bosh has arguably been more valuable to the Heat so far than has Lebron (of course, the same glance would indicate that Kidd has been more valuable to the Knicks than has Anthony).

the point is that the Heat will have two other top level stars to lean on over the course of the season. Melo is the only top level player on the Knicks. He's the whole show (apologies to RVD).

Don't get me wrong - I think Lebron is in a different universe as far as talent and I would vote for him yesterday today and tomorrow, but the case can be made that others will be more important to their individual teams, and for some voters that might be the determining factor.

If by some miracle Amare can come back and be a positive factor for this team and Iman can recover in time to be a factor this year the Knicks can pose a real challenge to the Heat this season.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

If by some miracle Amare can come back and be a positive factor for this team and Iman can recover in time to be a factor this year the Knicks can pose a real challenge to the Heat this season.

Overall, I would say the Knicks have more talented bodies than the Heat. Dwayne Wade is already breaking down and no longer an elite top shelf player. I think Bosh will end up being more important to the Heat this season and next.

Shumpert and Kidd will be able to shut down Lebron in the playoffs. Kidd knows how to get into LBJ's head.

 

[Gabjon]

Overall, I would say the Knicks have more talented bodies than the Heat. Dwayne Wade is already breaking down and no longer an elite top shelf player. I think Bosh will end up being more important to the Heat this season and next.

Shumpert and Kidd will be able to shut down Lebron in the playoffs. Kidd knows how to get into LBJ's head.

If this was 2002 and not 2012 the Knicks have more talent than anyone but it is not. Kidd didn't should down LBJ Dallas's zone did! But the last thing I want to do is start another zone conversation here...

 

[Knicks411]

the sample is very small, but if you look at 82games right now, you see that Bosh has arguably been more valuable to the Heat so far than has Lebron (of course, the same glance would indicate that Kidd has been more valuable to the Knicks than has Anthony).

the point is that the Heat will have two other top level stars to lean on over the course of the season. Melo is the only top level player on the Knicks. He's the whole show (apologies to RVD).

Don't get me wrong - I think Lebron is in a different universe as far as talent and I would vote for him yesterday today and tomorrow, but the case can be made that others will be more important to their individual teams, and for some voters that might be the determining factor.

Yeah, Bosh has been awesome this year, but the only problem is he's playing at a ridiculous level for him whereas Lebron is playing at a normal Lebron level.

but the case can be made that others will be more important to their individual teams, and for some voters that might be the determining factor.

I guess it's semantics here; I see what you are saying, voters might be able to talk themselves into someone else being more valuable to their team than Lebron, I just don't think it will be true.

And kudos on working an RVD reference into the mix.

 

[br801]

Overall, I would say the Knicks have more talented bodies than the Heat. Dwayne Wade is already breaking down and no longer an elite top shelf player. I think Bosh will end up being more important to the Heat this season and next.

Shumpert and Kidd will be able to shut down Lebron in the playoffs. Kidd knows how to get into LBJ's head.

So far Wade is pretty much replicating his offensive performance from last season, although he is shooting and scoring a bit less. Last week you were claiming that Kobe was in decline when he was (and still is) shooting 55% from the field. You should actually check these things before posting this stuff because it undermines your credibility.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

So far Wade is pretty much replicating his offensive performance from last season, although he is shooting and scoring a bit less. Last week you were claiming that Kobe was in decline when he was (and still is) shooting 55% from the field. You should actually check these things before posting this stuff because it undermines your credibility.

Why are you obsessed with me?

I believe Wade is in decline and Kobe as well. Lets see how the season unfolds and discuss when Melo is holding the MVP and NBA Championship trophies.