Melo vs. MCW last night

[OrangeDW]

You were quoting my post.

Your post was merely the launching point, but I was making a general point.

 

[two3zone]

Your post was merely the launching point, but I was making a general point.

My apologies then. My posts usually get picked apart and I'm too used to being told I'm saying something I didn't.

 

[Eric15]

For anyone needing a hoop fix, Melo vs. Lebron tonight, 8 pm on ESPN.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

6-18 last night vs the Cavs. did Kawhi get traded to Cleveland just in time to check Melo?

 

[OrangeDW]

6-18 last night vs the Cavs. did Kawhi get traded to Cleveland just in time to check Melo?

12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. He must've learned to do all that "on the darkside". By the way, Lebron was 9-23...Melo checked him quite a bit. Kevin Love was 4-13.

Your NBA posts are youtube comment level.

 

[br801]

12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. He must've learned to do all that "on the darkside". By the way, Lebron was 9-23...Melo checked him quite a bit. Kevin Love was 4-13.

Your NBA posts are youtube comment level.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. He must've learned to do all that "on the darkside". By the way, Lebron was 9-23...Melo checked him quite a bit. Kevin Love was 4-13.

Your NBA posts are youtube comment level.

9-23 is curryesque compared to the slop melo has been firing up

 

[HOFCeluck]

 

[OrangeDW]

9-23 is curryesque compared to the slop melo has been firing up

He had 3 breakaway dunks handed to him from Knicks guards(arguably the worst in the NBA) making horrible passes. Take those away and he's 6-20. Melo locked him up but he "doesn't play defense" so he won't get credit for it. Melo's hitting the boards, defending, his assists are up, he's leading and keeping his scrubby team in games with the NBA's elite. But all you want to talk about is him struggling at the thing he's done at a hall of fame level for 12 years. Odd.

Kevin Love shot even worse than either of them. Your buddy at the Y is probably better than him too.

 

[two3zone]

He had 3 breakaway dunks handed to him from Knicks guards(arguably the worst in the NBA) making horrible passes. Take those away and he's 6-20. Melo locked him up but he "doesn't play defense" so he won't get credit for it. Melo's hitting the boards, defending, his assists are up, he's leading and keeping his scrubby team in games with the NBA's elite. But all you want to talk about is him struggling at the thing he's done at a hall of fame level for 12 years. Odd.

Kevin Love shot even worse than either of them. Your buddy at the Y is probably better than him too.

So we're just taking away 3 of his made baskets so it can fit an argument?

 

[OrangeDW]

So we're just taking away 3 of his made baskets so it can fit an argument?

Yes. He shot poorly. It didn't look quite as bad on the stat sheet because he got 3 easy ones handed to him(he's a great defender but those passes were horrible and stupid). Melo gets no easy ones, for a variety of reasons.

I actually watched the game, just making a point. I doubt STEVEHOLT watched. He seems like a "I hate the NBA, I miss the old Celtics!" type.

 

[OrangeDW]

Take note...while Melo is still shooting poorly(and I'm still not worried in the least about that), the supposed "one dimensional player who went to the darkside" is averaging 7.2 rebounds and 4 assists per game which rivals any of the supposed "versatile, well rounded" star forwards out there. He's playing pretty decent defense too, but you'd have to actually watch the games to know that because the narrative is already written on him there.

As he gets his lift back he'll start shooting more consistently. I also think Afflalo will help open things up a bit for him. He's not great, but he's at least an NBA caliber shooting guard. The Knicks are playing 3 on 5 with Sasha and Calderon starting which means Melo gets absolutely zero easy buckets. I'm not sure I've seen him get an easy one all year. The starting guards combined for 2 points last night and barely even need to be guarded.

 

[HOFCeluck]

It's the Knicks starting backcourt the worst in the league or simply bottom five?

 

[OrangeDW]

It's the Knicks starting backcourt the worst in the league or simply bottom five?

Tied with Philly for the worst would be my take off the top of my head. When Afflalo is back and Fisher eventually smartens up and starts Grant, then I'd say it might get to the level of "simply bottom 5" which will at least be an improvement. And at least the Knicks do have Galloway shooting the ball really well off the bench. Their overall backcourt is probably a little better than Philly's especially with Wroten out, but their current starters are not.

And I don't think Grant will be a good starting caliber PG at this point. But he brings more to the table than Calderon, and he should improve. I think his ceiling is maybe good backup and serviceable enough starter level(like Jarrett Jack, Darren Collison level).

 

[Knicks411]

It's the Knicks starting backcourt the worst in the league or simply bottom five?

I think it has to be straight up worst.

Take note...while Melo is still shooting poorly(and I'm still not worried in the least about that), the supposed "one dimensional player who went to the darkside" is averaging 7.2 rebounds and 4 assists per game which rivals any of the supposed "versatile, well rounded" star forwards out there. He's playing pretty decent defense too, but you'd have to actually watch the games to know that because the narrative is already written on him there.

Fwiw this early in the season, he's actually 21st in assist rate among SF. He's still well behind guys like Lebron and Green, and is a step behind Paul George as well as far as assists go (and some of that could be his terrible teammates) but it's still a pretty big step up for him.

21st in assist rate, 13th in rebounding. For context, in his last full season he was 49th in assist rate and 9th in rebounding.

 

[orangefan13]

imo
Tyson Chandler or Chauncey Billups is the best Melo has had to work with. They are good players stat wise but where have they ever bettered a team chemistry or sped up a team?

I think Dirk Nowitzki is a good comparison to Melo arguably the best scorers in the league year in and out but don't make those around them all that much better. Dirk was fortunate to have the chemistry one season and was good enough to win a mvp doing so because he won the big one. Give melo a true star who is fast on the court just one season. Something Phil Jackson was always good at doing.

 

[Madbiker]

It's the Knicks starting backcourt the worst in the league or simply bottom five?

The Calderone-Vucavich backcourt is dreadful. They play so much better when Grant -Galloway come in. You wonder how long it will take for that dunce Fisher to realize that. Phil may have to send him a text message. Fisher has to be the worst HC in the league at least from in game decisions on the bench.

 

[Knicks411]

imo
Tyson Chandler or Chauncey Billups is the best Melo has had to work with. They are good players stat wise but where have they ever bettered a team chemistry or sped up a team?

I think Dirk Nowitzki is a good comparison to Melo arguably the best scorers in the league year in and out but don't make those around them all that much better. Dirk was fortunate to have the chemistry one season and was good enough to win a mvp doing so because he won the big one. Give melo a true star who is fast on the court just one season. Something Phil Jackson was always good at doing.

Well Billups was possibly the best player on an incredibly well balanced team. And Chandler may have been the second best player on the team Dirk won a title with. Which doesn't necessarily change the overall point, just saying

 

[OrangeDW]

Take note...

Melo averaged 26 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.3 apg on 44% shooting, 42% from 3 in four games this week.

Basically in line with what he has always done. After shooting under 40% in 5 of his first 6 games, he shot 40% or higher in all 4 games this week and even after an uncharacteristically bad shooting start, he is now up to the 40% mark on the season, that he supposedly will be lucky to crack this season.

He had 17 pts. in the 2nd quarter against Toronto, 20 pts. in the 2nd half against Charlotte, and 22 pts. in the first half against Cleveland...showing he's still capable of being unstoppable when he has it going. The bad news is he wasn't able to maintain it at all in the 2nd half of the Toronto and Cleveland games when he appeared to be on his way to 35-40 point nights, and he had his worst looking shot of the game when he had a chance to win the Charlotte game at the end.

He's not all the way back yet, but statistically he was pretty much back to normal Carmelo this week. I know all Orange fans will continue to root for the guy who will become just our second NBA hall of famer, as he bounces back from a serious injury.

 

[Knicks411]

Chris Herring had a really interesting article in the WSJ about how Melo does better when playing a team for the second time (as well as third and fourth) especially when the plays the same team in a short period of time.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/cold-sh...story-of-thawing-as-winter-sets-in-1447204537

 

[OrangeDW]

29 points, 13 rebounds, 11-21 from the field. Haven't heard from STEVEHOLT in awhile.

 

[br801]

29 points, 13 rebounds, 11-21 from the field. Haven't heard from STEVEHOLT in awhile.

He'll be back, beating his chest, after Carmelo's next 6-21 night, even if it is preceded by a string of 14-25 performances.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

What are you fighting about? And how do you decide who wins?

 

[Cusefan0307]

Melo's numbers are slowing rising, and I haven't seen him play this hard since he's been in NY. Even his rebounding numbers are above his career average. You knew the shot would come back, just look at his Free Throw percentage.

 

[OrangeDW]

What are you fighting about? And how do you decide who wins?

Just providing updates on Melo and shaming someone who was irrationally trashing our guy(and seeming to take pleasure in his struggles) in his first few games back off of knee surgery. Melo is looking pretty good lately, as he's getting his legs back(which I would assume most bball fans knew would happen). Time and gravity are undefeated, so his athleticism will continue to erode in the coming seasons, but his basketball skills are still razor sharp.

Thank you for your interest. Go Cuse. Go Melo.