Melo - from the bleachers

[OrangeDW]

Seeing a lot of isolation 4s that are high level stars as low efficiency, poor defense guys? Who plays that way in the modern NBA and is All-NBA caliber?

It sucks that Jabari has had so many injury problems but he never had anywhere near the talent level as Melo.

Prime Melo was a SF and had a far different bounce than later career Melo. We got Brandon Ingram getting 25 ppg. Pascal Siakam going ape. They ain’t young, prime Melo level.

 

[br801]

Seeing a lot of isolation 4s that are high level stars as low efficiency, poor defense guys? Who plays that way in the modern NBA and is All-NBA caliber?

You really should be running away from this thread as far and as fast as you can.

 

[chugg21]

You really should be running away from this thread as far and as fast as you can.

Sure. I still love him for '03 but he was what he was in the pros. He's made it past the 1st rd like twice in 15 years. What else really matters? He mostly piled up counting stats with a heavy usage rate most years with a couple of great seasons mixed in? I don't know what there is to argue about, the league doesn't operate with guys like him as focal points anymore. You're either a main facilitator running the PnR up top or you're spotting up. No ones running an offense around a shoot first isolation forward in the post.

 

[chugg21]

It sucks that Jabari has had so many injury problems but he never had anywhere near the talent level as Melo.

Prime Melo was a SF and had a far different bounce than later career Melo. We got Brandon Ingram getting 25 ppg. Pascal Siakam going ape. They ain’t young, prime Melo level.

I see both of them as real lanky guys that work outside-in for the most part. In my mind Melo was much thicker and did most his damage inside-out and lived in the midrange kind of like Derozan still does though he's not nearly as physical.

 

[OrangeDW]

I see both of them as real lanky guys that work outside-in for the most part. In my mind Melo was much thicker and did most his damage inside-out and lived in the midrange kind of like Derozan still does though he's not nearly as physical.

Melo did damage everywhere though. He could score on every level. If he was coming into the league now he’d take and make more 3s, IMO. That’s the leagues accepted style of play more than anything.

I mean...would Kobe be Derozen now? The greats would be greats in any era, IMO.

 

[br801]

Melo did damage everywhere though. He could score on every level. If he was coming into the league now he’d take and make more 3s, IMO. That’s the leagues accepted style of play more than anything.

I mean...would Kobe be Derozen now? The greats would be greats in any era, IMO.

I agree, the greats would find a way in any era. Melo made himself into a decent 3-point shooter in the back half of his career, and likely would have done so earlier if the situation had demanded it.

If he had played in the 1960s/70s with more possessions and shots, he probably would have been a 30/10/5 guy in his prime years, and would have been too big and strong for the small forwards of that era to contain, and too quick for the power forwards to guard.

 

[br801]

Closing in on Garnett in career NBA/ABA points, with Havlicek and Pierce in sight if he remains healthy this season. If he returns for another full season in 2020-21, he might move into the top twelve.

 

[HakAttack]

Closing in on Garnett in career NBA/ABA points, with Havlicek and Pierce in sight if he remains healthy this season. If he returns for another full season in 2020-21, he might move into the top twelve.

View attachment 175321

The real discussion point in that post is if LeBron will retire as the all-time scoring leader.

 

[br801]

The real discussion point in that post is if LeBron will retire as the all-time scoring leader.

I wouldn't bet against him.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Closing in on Garnett in career NBA/ABA points, with Havlicek and Pierce in sight if he remains healthy this season. If he returns for another full season in 2020-21, he might move into the top twelve.

View attachment 175321

If he had played an entire season last year , he most probably would have been 12th or 13th before this year

 

[Toga]

The company he is in couldn't possibly be more elite.

 

[Cuse12]

The company he is in couldn't possibly be more elite.

Truly remarkable career.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Closing in on Garnett in career NBA/ABA points, with Havlicek and Pierce in sight if he remains healthy this season. If he returns for another full season in 2020-21, he might move into the top twelve.

View attachment 175321

Do you ever think about Dan Issel when you think of the big time NBA scorers?

 

[br801]

Do you ever think about Dan Issel when you think of the big time NBA scorers?

Yes. I grew up watching a lot of ABA, where he was a dominant talent, and then followed him and others like Erving (my favorite), Gilmore, McGinnis and Gervin when they moved to the NBA. Issel was a similar player to the guy next to him on the list, Elvin Hayes, a mobile big man who could shoot out to 20 feet.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Do you ever think about Dan Issel when you think of the big time NBA scorers?

Issell along with some others had his ABA season scoring included in these numbers. Issel played 5 years in the ABA and 10 in the NBA. He did average more points per game in the ABA (26.2) vs NBA (20.7). He was a great scorer who spent his young years in the ABA for Kentucky, where he had been a college star, so he was also the offensive focus in the ABA as their hometown hero than in the NBA. He was drafted out of college by the NBA surprisingly only in the 8th round vs the 1st round by the ABA.

 

[shandeezy7]

If he had played an entire season last year , he most probably would have been 12th or 13th before this year

His prior three year average points per year was 1,500, so yeah, assuming he would have scored at that level had he played last season, he already would have surpassed Dan Issel at 11. It's a shame he was blackballed. Screw D'Antoni.

 

[br801]

His prior three year average points per year was 1,500, so yeah, assuming he would have scored at that level had he played last season, he already would have surpassed Dan Issel at 11. It's a shame he was blackballed. Screw D'Antoni.

I'm just glad Melo is getting a chance to go out on his own terms, as he has now shown he can still play. That's not always the case in professional sports, where the end often comes pretty quickly for even the great ones, due to injury and/or a steep drop in production.

 

[DoctorBombay]

I see both of them as real lanky guys that work outside-in for the most part. In my mind Melo was much thicker and did most his damage inside-out and lived in the midrange kind of like Derozan still does though he's not nearly as physical.

Melo, like a lot of players, had his limitations. But without question, he was considered one of the best scorers in nba history, established especially by his peers. The numbers speak for themselves in that regard.
In any case, to even attempt a ludicrous comparison between he and a Jahlil Okafor, who is at best a journeyman in the pros, is just fans being myopic, and borderline ridiculous. By any measure, Melo in his prime was far better than that. That’s obvious to anyone who’s devoid of bias and animus, and with even a modicum of common sense.

 

[chugg21]

Melo, like a lot of players, had his limitations. But without question, he was considered one of the best scorers in nba history, established especially by his peers. The numbers speak for themselves in that regard.
In any case, to even attempt a ludicrous comparison between he and a Jahlil Okafor, who is at best a journeyman in the pros, is just fans being myopic, and borderline ridiculous. By any measure, Melo in his prime was far better than that. That’s obvious to anyone who’s devoid of bias and animus, and with even a modicum of common sense.

Anyone comparing him to a back to the basket 5 like Jahlil Okafor who has about 6 feet of range on a good day is a crazy person for sure.

 

[Jeremy L.]

The real discussion point in that post is if LeBron will retire as the all-time scoring leader.

So after he passes Kobe, he'll be about 4,744. If he played for five more seasons and played all 82 games, he'd only need to average like 12 points per game to pass Kareem.

 

[bozophobe]

I still think Melo's multiple Olympic medals mean something. That last one featured him taking over for a quarter or so, then politely allowing others to do it. The Dream Team days are over for the U.S. Many countries are fielding 5 245 pound Marek Dolejai types. And that's just in South America.

 

[br801]

Melo through 8 games in January: 17.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 53% from field (41% from deep), 86% from line

 

[shandeezy7]

Melo through 8 games in January: 17.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 53% from field (41% from deep), 86% from line

And one screw you win over the Rockets.

 

[Trueblue25]

Melo’s aging like fine wine

 

[721Comstock]

Melo through 8 games in January: 17.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 53% from field (41% from deep), 86% from line

Clearly he’s washed up, and this is just a courtesy being afforded him.