Melo left out of ESPN's top 10 NBA players...again.

[Tony DeFranco]

SA struggled when Leonard was out last year - he is pivotal to their defense - without him Durant and James score 40 every night against SA - put Melo on SA? I can assure u he is cut or traded - Pop would go nutz with that hold the ball crap while Greene and Bellinelli are open behind the 3 point line

This is Melo's year to become a different player

 

[Melancer46]

GMs would pick Leonard over Melo only because of the age difference. I don't think a single GM would say Leonard is a better player than Melo right now. Leonard was the 3rd best player on his own team, if that. He just showed up at the right time.

 

[OrangeDW]

My problem with Melo is not defense - he get's the ball - and holds it - runs the clock down - then jacks up a long jumper - and he wonders y all his teammates suck

I love Melo but he is 10 years in the league - if his career ends on its current path no one will know who he was in 20 years from now outside of Syracuse

His teammates suck...because they suck. JR Smith has been his best offensive teammate in NY. Think about that. Melo has played effectively on good offensive teams in Denver, and in 2012-13 in NY, when many of his mediocre teammates overachieved and shot the ball well. The ball movement was very good too.

And Melo has had a hall of fame career. He will certainly be known 20 years from now, regardless. Forget Syracuse...he's been great in the Olympics and a perennial all star and usually All NBA player for a decade.

 

[OrangeDW]

SA struggled when Leonard was out last year - he is pivotal to their defense - without him Durant and James score 40 every night against SA - put Melo on SA? I can assure u he is cut or traded - Pop would go nutz with that hold the ball crap while Greene and Bellinelli are open behind the 3 point line

This is Melo's year to become a different player

LOL at Melo being "cut". Wow.

 

[Tony DeFranco]

I was making a point about Melo's style of play - he certainly would be coming off the bench for Leonard - that's definitive

Are you saying that Melo is a top 50 all time player? please tell me ur not

 

[Melancer46]

I was making a point about Melo's style of play - he certainly would be coming off the bench for Leonard - that's definitive

Are you saying that Melo is a top 50 all time player? please tell me ur not

Lol come on man. There isn't a chance in hell any team in the NBA would bring Melo off the bench in his peak. This isn't even a debate. It's a fact. He's a starter on every single team in the NBA.

 

[Knicks411]

If the Spurs could someone just acquire Melo for no cost, they'd prob just go small and play Leonard and Melo together, no?

 

[Trueblue25]

Leonard over Melo? Are you shi--ing me

 

[rrlbees]

His teammates suck...because they suck. JR Smith has been his best offensive teammate in NY. Think about that. Melo has played effectively on good offensive teams in Denver, and in 2012-13 in NY, when many of his mediocre teammates overachieved and shot the ball well. The ball movement was very good too. And Melo has had a hall of fame career. He will certainly be known 20 years from now, regardless. Forget Syracuse...he's been great in the Olympics and a perennial all star and usually All NBA player for a decade.

Melo seemed to do just fine with players around him...like the Olympics. He was a leader of that team and even James gushed over his skills. The Knicks? They've never put any talent around him. Never. It's always been a bunch of average pieces. And why is this Melos last chance? Did the Knicks get some players this year? Melo tries to do so much on offense because nobody else can do jack consistently. Melo would be phenomenal on SA. He'd adapt to the style of play and having talent on the team, just like the Olympics team. He can play with talent, he struggles playing with none and trying to do too much.

 

[Knicks411]

I just think the Olympics thing is overblown. There's no situation in the NBA that's going to be anything like the Olympics.

Melo is the only star player in the NBA that I ever hear anyone talk about how good he is with the Olympic team. Don't get me wrong, he was amazing in 2012, he scored 130 points in 143 minutes with 0 (!) turnovers. But I mean, he scored 37 points in 14 minutes against Nigeria, 10/12 3's. That's an incredibly performance, but it was Nigeria, what does that have to do with the NBA? For whatever it's worth (IMO, not a whole lot), he was 3-9 against Spain and 8-20 in 2 games against Argentina.

That being said, the stuff about this being his last chance is overblown. He's a great player. The team isn't going to be very good this year because the rest of the team is devoid of talent. Hopefully they add some in the summer.

 

[OrangeDW]

I was making a point about Melo's style of play - he certainly would be coming off the bench for Leonard - that's definitive

Are you saying that Melo is a top 50 all time player? please tell me ur not

LOL at Melo coming off the bench. Wow. The guy was 3rd in MVP voting 2 years ago, and you've got him getting cut or coming off the bench.

Top 50 ever? No. I wouldn't say that.

Future hall of famer though, no question.

 

[realorange]

If you are Melo with the ball and in good position to score, do you think very hard about passing it to another player on the Knicks? Who has the better chance to score?
As for defense, he will play it when it's crunch time. He can't afford to put himself in jeopardy of fouling out by going hard all the time because that would be the death sentence for that game.

 

[OrangeDW]

I just think the Olympics thing is overblown. There's no situation in the NBA that's going to be anything like the Olympics.

Melo is the only star player in the NBA that I ever hear anyone talk about how good he is with the Olympic team. Don't get me wrong, he was amazing in 2012, he scored 130 points in 143 minutes with 0 (!) turnovers. But I mean, he scored 37 points in 14 minutes against Nigeria, 10/12 3's. That's an incredibly performance, but it was Nigeria, what does that have to do with the NBA? For whatever it's worth (IMO, not a whole lot), he was 3-9 against Spain and 8-20 in 2 games against Argentina.

That being said, the stuff about this being his last chance is overblown. He's a great player. The team isn't going to be very good this year because the rest of the team is devoid of talent. Hopefully they add some in the summer.

I'd say it's a bit like Barkley in the 92 Olympics. Without the stench of a weak Sixers supporting cast around him, he showed that he was the 2nd best player alive after Jordan. Fortunately for him, he got to Phoenix where he had some talent to play with and got to show what he was capable of in that situation, winning MVP and going to the finals.

Melo shows that he's right after Lebron and Durant every time he plays with team USA. Hopefully he'll get some talent around him in the next few years.

 

[Knicks411]

I'd say it's a bit like Barkley in the 92 Olympics. Without the stench of a weak Sixers supporting cast around him, he showed that he was the 2nd best player alive after Jordan. Fortunately for him, he got to Phoenix where he had some talent to play with and got to show what he was capable of in that situation, winning MVP and going to the finals.

Melo shows that he's right after Lebron and Durant every time he plays with team USA. Hopefully he'll get some talent around him in the next few years.[/QUOTE]

I guess I'm just not sure I agree with the bolded. (Considering the team I root for, I sure hope it's true. Also pretty amazing, I can't find box scores for even the 2008 Olympics, just points/reb/ast, but no FGA, etc). Like I said, scoring 37 points in 14 minutes against Nigeria doesn't do anything for me, just like going 1-6 in 12 minutes against Argentina doesn't make me think he's not any good. I also don't think it really matters cause he's never going to play the role on an NBA team that he does for the Olympic team. I kind of feel like it's just forcing a narrative. I would imagine most people who say how great Melo is in the Olympics have no idea what his stats are or how they stack up to anyone else on the team. (Also, and this can't possibly be right, but according to basketball reference, in the 2012 Olympics Chris Paul played 206 minutes with 41 assists and 20 blocks. 20 blocks! there's no way this is true, right?)
I also hope that by the time he gets talent around him again, that he hasn't fallen too far off his peak. Just saw some pretty interesting stats about how poorly he shot in the 4th quarter last year, or after he passed 40 minutes, something like that; I hope the Knicks don't lean on him too much this year and wear him down.

 

[rrlbees]

I just think the Olympics thing is overblown. There's no situation in the NBA that's going to be anything like the Olympics. Melo is the only star player in the NBA that I ever hear anyone talk about how good he is with the Olympic team. Don't get me wrong, he was amazing in 2012, he scored 130 points in 143 minutes with 0 (!) turnovers. But I mean, he scored 37 points in 14 minutes against Nigeria, 10/12 3's. That's an incredibly performance, but it was Nigeria, what does that have to do with the NBA? For whatever it's worth (IMO, not a whole lot), he was 3-9 against Spain and 8-20 in 2 games against Argentina. That being said, the stuff about this being his last chance is overblown. He's a great player. The team isn't going to be very good this year because the rest of the team is devoid of talent. Hopefully they add some in the summer.

It shows what he can do when playing with other talent even though NBA teams aren't the Olympic team.

 

[PoppyHart]

The Olympic talk needs to cease. If Danny Green played on the Olympic team, we'd think he's one of the best players ever.

Melo around #10 is fair. If he ever went on a tear and carried his team to the Finals (or won), he'd shoot up to #2 or #3. Until then, he'd probably peak in the 6-10 range, and could possibly fall to the 15ish range behind younger guys like Lillard, Irving and Leonard, and would already be behind a healthy George and Rose.

Saying someone is one of the top dozen people at their profession in the world is a major compliment.

 

[OrangeDW]

The Olympic talk needs to cease. If Danny Green played on the Olympic team, we'd think he's one of the best players ever.

Melo around #10 is fair. If he ever went on a tear and carried his team to the Finals (or won), he'd shoot up to #2 or #3. Until then, he'd probably peak in the 6-10 range, and could possibly fall to the 15ish range behind younger guys like Lillard, Irving and Leonard, and would already be behind a healthy George and Rose.

Saying someone is one of the top dozen people at their profession in the world is a major compliment.

If Danny Green was on the Olympic team(he never would be), he would be on the bench watching Carmelo, just like James Harden was last time around.

I'd give Melo more like #3-8 range.

 

[Knicks411]

It shows what he can do when playing with other talent even though NBA teams aren't the Olympic team.

It's just such a stretch; he's playing with basically the ten best players in the world against nowhere near that talent level. Of course he's going to play well. That has no relation to the NBA, he's never going to be on a team with that kind of talent, and that kind of talent relative to the opposition. (and like I said, he didn't perform very well against Spain and Argentina, the only other teams that have NBA level talent in the world. The next time the Kicks play team Nigeria, maybe I'll worry about how he does in the olympics)

I think 3 is too high for Melo. 7, 8, I can buy that. I can also buy 11, 12. A lot of these guys, there's not much between them. As I said before, Durant and Lebron are miles ahead of the competition. Melo was third in the MVP 2 years ago, and that was pretty fair to me, he was excellent that season, and the team performed well. But he was also nowhere near that last year.

 

[44cuse]

The real crime on this thread is LeBron at #1. How anybody can think that is beyond me. LeBron passed up a game winning shot once. Dirk is still in the league isn't he?

44cuse

 

[reedny]

Alright, trying to figure out who's left for the top 10 now:

1. LeBron
2. Durant
3. Blake Griffin
4. CP3
5. Dwight
6. Westbrook
7. James Harden
8. Steph Curry
9. Kevin Love
10. Anthony Davis

None of those guys have been listed yet, right? I don't think Harden > Melo is that bad honestly. If I were ranking guys in terms of MVP odds, Melo would definitely be higher, but I imagine the argument is:
1. Both are elite and versatile scorers.
2. Both are lackadaisical defenders that can play decent defense when they decide to try.
3. Both are above average rebounders for their positions.
4. Harden is a much, much better creator for teammates.

Honestly, I expect that Harden is not the #10 guy that kept Melo out of the top 10. I imagine it will be close to the way I have it listed above.

Honestly, it IS that bad. Do you follow the NBA?

 

[Melancer46]

Honestly, it IS that bad. Do you follow the NBA?

Yes, lol, more so than I do college, and I already explained the case for why Harden is probably ahead of Melo. They're both elite scorers. They're both above average rebounders relative to their positions. They're both poor defenders. Harden is a much, much better creator than Melo.

You're really splitting hairs between Harden, Melo, Curry, and Love. Someone had to be left out of the top 10. They're all about even.

 

[reedny]

Yes, lol, more so than I do college, and I already explained the case for why Harden is probably ahead of Melo. They're both elite scorers. They're both above average rebounders relative to their positions. They're both poor defenders. Harden is a much, much better creator than Melo.

You're really splitting hairs between Harden, Melo, Curry, and Love. Someone had to be left out of the top 10. They're all about even.

I don't think this is even close. Calling them both elite scorers doesn't mean they're equal in talent. I watch the Knicks regularly. Melo is a much better defender than he gets credit for. And he's a better team leader than Harden, much better rebounder, passer, etc.. etc.. Harden plays well offensively in spurts and during those stretches offensively he's at Melo's level. The difference is ... Melo plays well offensively almost every night -- and with a team the last couple of years that hasn't had a lot of other options. If Harden plays more consistently for another 4 years and improves his defense and passing, maybe then there would be a comparison.

 

[Melancer46]

I don't think this is even close. Calling them both elite scorers doesn't mean they're equal in talent. I watch the Knicks regularly. Melo is a much better defender than he gets credit for. And he's a better team leader than Harden, much better rebounder, passer, etc.. etc.. Harden plays well offensively in spurts and during those stretches offensively he's at Melo's level. The difference is ... Melo plays well offensively almost every night -- and with a team the last couple of years that hasn't had a lot of other options. If Harden plays more consistently for another 4 years and improves his defense and passing, maybe then there would be a comparison.

Even if Melo is slightly underrated as a defender, he's still a poor defender that can be average when he tries. Harden is a better passer and creator, and relative to their positions, they're about equal in terms of rebounding. It is most definitely close. I mean, Harden was an All-NBA 1st teamer last year. Clearly he is considered an elite player, much like Melo.

 

[reedny]

Even if Melo is slightly underrated as a defender, he's still a poor defender that can be average when he tries. Harden is a better passer and creator, and relative to their positions, they're about equal in terms of rebounding. It is most definitely close. I mean, Harden was an All-NBA 1st teamer last year. Clearly he is considered an elite player, much like Melo.

I agree with some of that .. (except the defense and passing parts). If Harden keeps playing at this level for another 4 years, maybe I'll bite. But not at this stage.

 

[Tony DeFranco]

I love Melo but if u want to win a title and u think of who u could add to ur team to win a title do u think of Melo? reality is he is irrelevant in terms of winning a title - u can say that it's because he plays for the Knicks but he is not of the level that u can build a title around - for him to win a title he would have to do something Bosh did