Carmelo Anthony...MVP

[Gabjon]

The more interesting question is Rookie of the Year. Interested in who everyone thinks is going to take that. Thoughts?

44cuse

Damian Lillard in a runaway

 

[44cuse]

Damian Lillard in a runaway

I don't know about that. Knicks and Melo will have opinions (not sure anyone else here watches the NBA). Let's see what they say.

44cuse

 

[Melancer46]

Easily Damian Lillard for ROTY.

As far as MVP goes, as much as I don't like LeBron, I think he's easily the most valuable player in the league, and I disagree with those that think the Knicks rely on Melo more than the Heat do on LeBron. Just like in Cleveland, Miami is completely dependent on LeBron now. He's completely taken over that team. Felton, Chandler, Amare, Kidd, JR Smith and Westbrook contribute too much to their teams to make that argument against LeBron. The ball is basically always in LeBron's hands.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Lebron touches the ball on 72% of MIA possessions. Melo 70.4%... that disheartens me a bit, because why the hell can King James shoot 10 percent higher from the floor AND average so many more assists? If someone can convince Melo to pass more...the Knicks will get to that final stage.

Melo still is a gunner at heart...just a better shooter now.

 

[Knicks411]

I think Lillard probably takes ROTY, but I still think Davis ends up as the best pro in the class.

 

[44cuse]

I think Lillard probably takes ROTY, but I still think Davis ends up as the best pro in the class.

On a Per48 it's Andre Drummond and its not even close.

DL has played twice the minutes, so that has to account for something. But check out Drummond's #'s. They're incredible.

And just for fun I compared them on nbageek and it's crazy. If Drummond keeps up the production (which who knows) and ups his minutes...way better than a lot here thought he was going to be.

Full disclosure...I was shocked when I read this about Drummond. Not like I found it myself.

44cuse

 

[44cuse]

Lebron touches the ball on 72% of MIA possessions. Melo 70.4%... that disheartens me a bit, because why the hell can King James shoot 10 percent higher from the floor AND average so many more assists? If someone can convince Melo to pass more...the Knicks will get to that final stage.

Melo still is a gunner at heart...just a better shooter now.

It's like the quality of NBA discussion went up around here. What the heck is up with that?

44cuse

 

[Knicks411]

On a Per48 it's Andre Drummond and its not even close.

DL has played twice the minutes, so that has to account for something. But check out Drummond's #'s. They're incredible.

And just for fun I compared them on nbageek and it's crazy. If Drummond keeps up the production (which who knows) and ups his minutes...way better than a lot here thought he was going to be.

Full disclosure...I was shocked when I read this about Drummond. Not like I found it myself.

44cuse

Oh yeah, Drummond has been amazing, but A) he hasn't played a ton of minutes, and B) he's out for the next month.

I think he's got one of the best age 19 PER seasons of all time or something.

 

[44cuse]

Oh yeah, Drummond has been amazing, but A) he hasn't played a ton of minutes, and B) he's out for the next month.

I think he's got one of the best age 19 PER seasons of all time or something.

Yep, I don't think you can vote him just because of the minutes comparison. If it were tighter (vs 2 to 1)...definitely. But it's not.

I was just shocked to read that. Actually, shocked is the wrong word. I get the motor thing from last season. But that kid has size and skills and it was so obvious. But not obvious enough that I realized his PER was I think top three all time for 19.

44cuse

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Just heard a crazy stat...blowing up on twitter.

Since he came in the league..Lebron has scored 86 more points than Kobe Bryant on 525 fewer shots.

So much for Kobe being a better "scorer" than Lebron. That stat is nuts.

 

[Gabjon]

Lebron touches the ball on 72% of MIA possessions. Melo 70.4%... that disheartens me a bit, because why the hell can King James shoot 10 percent higher from the floor AND average so many more assists? If someone can convince Melo to pass more...the Knicks will get to that final stage.

Melo still is a gunner at heart...just a better shooter now.

Lebron has way better shooter on his team then Melo. No matter how much Melo passes he won't average the assist Lebron does.

 

[JrodCuse]

I'm sorry. I love Melo. Dude is a beast. But Lebron is on a whole nother level. 3rd player ever, I repeat EVER, to score 30+ points in 5 straight games while shooting 60%+. His efficiency is off the charts. He is a NBA first team defender and one of the best offensive players in the league. Me and my buddy have had a conversation about this. Lebron is the only player in the history of the NBA that you could clone 5 of, and have a complete well-rounded basketball team. He can play every position and play it well. If that isn't MVP I don't know what is. Now could Melo win it? Sure, but if he does its not because hes better than Lebron, its because the voters want to give it to someone besides Lebron.

 

[Gabjon]

Just heard a crazy stat...blowing up on twitter.

Since he came in the league..Lebron has scored 86 more points than Kobe Bryant on 525 fewer shots.

So much for Kobe being a better "scorer" than Lebron. That stat is nuts.

Kobe has missed more field goal attempts than anybody else in NBA history...ANYBODY!

 

[Knicks411]

I'm sorry. I love Melo. Dude is a beast. But Lebron is on a whole nother level. 3rd player ever, I repeat EVER, to score 30+ points in 5 straight games while shooting 60%+.

And that underrates him a little; he's shooting 75% over the last 5 games. 75%!!

 

[MikeSU02]

LeBron is on one of the greatest runs in the history of sports right now.

Maybe college basketball has more buzzer beaters, but the NBA is so far and away a better brand of basketball, it's not even close.

 

[Gabjon]

LeBron is on one of the greatest runs in the history of sports right now.

Maybe college basketball has more buzzer beaters, but the NBA is so far and away a better brand of basketball, it's not even close.

The NBA is night and day better than college basketball right now. The only thing that is great about college this year is all the upsets, but the basketball itself is not very good. The top 10 teams in the NBA are a very good watch and the next ten are a pretty good watch.

 

[Brooky03]

nm

It's not worth getting worked up over

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

How about that time MJ had 10 triple doubles in an 11 game span? I believe it was 89. That seems unpossible.

 

[armory]

The only thing that matters to posters who don't know basketball is how many points their player scores.

Any questions?

(To keep it real, LBJ is the MVP - word)

You just said "keep it real" and "word" in one set of parenthesis. Just pointing this out, for science.

 

[Brooky03]

LeBron is a genetic freak who happens to play basketball. I think that's what bugs me the most about him. It seems like some of the other top basketball players have had to hone their skills more, while a larger percentage of his success is driven by "God given" physical attributes. At least Jordan was a reasonable height for his athleticism and he didn't have slabs of muscle when he came out of the womb. Also, Jordan developed some great moves to get himself open, like some of the other stars I'm thinking of (Kobe, Melo, Durant to a lesser extent). LeBron just drives or jabs and shoots. Aside from the awesome dunks, nothing else in his game is particularly exciting. His blocks are nice but .8 per game isn't incredible and the "chase down" block is super overrated.

To summarize: When I watch Melo, I often think "Damn, I couldn't do that no matter how hard I tried or what body I was born into." When I watch LeBron, I think "Yeah, I could probably do that too if I were born with the physique of a God."



This might be a little sidetracked from the point about who the MVP should be, but I don't care who the NBA decides is worthy. They rarely make good decisions and I don't see why they would start now or why I should care.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Lebron has been given great gifts...but, wouldn't you say the same of Karl Malone and many other guys who are blessed with great physical attributes? Why couldn't he handle the ball like Lebron and go out and flirt with a triple double every night and shoot 42% from three?

Have to give Lebron some credit for crafting his game. His true shooting percentage on jumpers this year is ridiculous.

 

[SoBeCuse]

LeBron is on another level right now. Game is so easy for him now and he isn't forcing things. It's LeBron, Durant, and then Melo for MVP and that order ain't gonna change.

 

[Brooky03]

Lebron has been given great gifts...but, wouldn't you say the same of Karl Malone and many other guys who are blessed with great physical attributes? Why couldn't he handle the ball like Lebron and go out and flirt with a triple double every night and shoot 42% from three?

Have to give Lebron some credit for crafting his game. His true shooting percentage on jumpers this year is ridiculous.

Lebron can shoot for sure. But my point of contention is that his game isn't as "pretty" as the other guys I listed. I know that has no bearing on whether or not he is a good player; it's just a matter of personal preference. If given the choice between watching a player who plays like Melo or a player who plays like Lebron, I would choose the Melo-esque guy every time. Dunks from 2 feet above the rim are cool and uncontested 3-pointers (because you have to give him a lot of space for the drive) fill up a stat sheet, but they just don't really do 'it' for me. Watching Melo make split second decisions from the triple threat position is fascinating to me. You never know what is coming next and he finds really creative ways to finish. Lebron, for the most part, jab steps and shoots or drives through guys who don't have the size to stay in front of him. I would also choose a Kobe-esque player over Lebron for similar reasons.

On a side note; I hate Lebron as a person. He comes off as very fake and disingenuous, and his attitude on the court is childish at times. Carmelo is a whiner, everybody knows that, but Lebron takes it to another level. I'll never forget the time he acted like his neck was broken when Chandler set a LEGAL pick. And of course Chandler was called for the foul.

 

[TinyManInside]

I love Melo, he is a great, great player... but he also has the misfortune of playing in the exact same timeframe as one of the most talented players ever. He may win an MVP because the voters get sick of voting for the same guy every year, but no player in the league is more valuable to their team than LeBron is.

 

[Melancer46]

At the end of the day, to me, it's:
1. Lebron



2. Durant



3/4. Melo/CP3