did lebron really deserve to win ROY?

[prophet_of_rage]

The rookie of the year was typically the highest scorer. The only exception was the year they snubbed Big Dog (who held out for $100 million) and gave it to Hill/Kidd. The award should have gone to Melo, but since LBJ more than lived up to his hype there was no way he was losing the award.

[hazy_01]

Just a question, why couldn't they share the award like Grant Hill/Jason Kidd back in 94 (i think)? Does NBA still allow that now or was it abolished at some time?

[Mamba Venom]

Strange that Melo didn't have more hype. Has any player ever performed better in college? Melo is the NCAA singel season GOAT. LeBron's style and the super hype machine won the award. The better player won so who cares.

[izZo]

The media clearly accounted for the hype & expectations LeBron had to live up to at the time. Carmelo, despite coming off a National Championship did not have the same kind of expectations to live up to as LeBron did. He also had a much better team overall.

LeBron deserved the ROY.

This, Do you guys not remember that 03 Cavs lineup?

[ERRDAY3]

Lebron averaged 20 5 5 yeah thats great but he took almost 20 shots a game shot terrible played almost 40 minutes a game and averaged 4 turnovers a game. Melo was a bit better but Wade was a better player than both but he missed 20 games and didnt get the hype.

[Bravely Done]

Strange that Melo didn't have more hype. Has any player ever performed better in college? Melo is the NCAA singel season GOAT. LeBron's style and the super hype machine won the award. The better player won so who cares.

I'd put Durant and Beasley over Melo.

[JustCame]

Melo was just a scorer in a great situation. Lebron had a terrible roster and still put up 20/5/5 as a rookie. He deserved it.

[Egg Nog]

LeBron won ROY because he was the better rookie during that season. Not rocket science.

Pts differential: +0.2 Melo
Reb differntial: +0.2 Melo
Ast differential: +2.7 Lebron
Stl differential: +0.4 Lebron
Blk differential: +0.2 Lebron

[[GR]]

Melo was just a scorer in a great situation. Lebron had a terrible roster and still put up 20/5/5 as a rookie. He deserved it.

What was a great situation? Denver was awful, and had a longer playoff drought than the Cavs did. Boozer and Big Z were better than Melo's teammates. Lebron also got to play in the East, which was horrendous then.

[Wone]

The rookie of the year was typically the highest scorer. The only exception was the year they snubbed Big Dog (who held out for $100 million) and gave it to Hill/Kidd. The award should have gone to Melo, but since LBJ more than lived up to his hype there was no way he was losing the award.

He averaged a whopping .1 more ppg than Lebron

[Doctor MJ]

I always thought melo should have been rookie of the year, I never actually checked the numbers until tonight,aside from melo getting his team to the playoffs, he also shot a better fg% 3% free throw % and was better on the boards, LEBRON had all the hype, but if the tables were turned, melo was the high school Phenom and number one pick, would lebron still have won it?

Really funny how this comes up after Melo has a huge game. In a normal comparison that would leave people saying "Maybe Melo is actually better than LeBron", instead it maps into "Remember that one thing that LeBron won where Melo was actually in the same ballpark as LeBron 8 years ago?"

As to who should have won, to me it was pretty even. ROY is actually a much harder award to award coherently than anyone realizes, and it's particularly tough in this case. The reality is that both guys were inefficient as hell and wouldn't have been the lead scorers on their respective teams if the teams were really good, and actually trying to win, but both were very impressive for rookies.

The one thing I have to correct though of what you said though is the implication that either of these guys was hugely responsible for the team turnaround. They weren't. We really haven't seen any rookie since Duncan who has a huge impact. What happened here first and foremost is that both teams tanked like hell the year before, and then they stopped tanking, which made the rookies look good.

[The Rebel]

I always thought melo should have been rookie of the year, I never actually checked the numbers until tonight,aside from melo getting his team to the playoffs, he also shot a better fg% 3% free throw % and was better on the boards, LEBRON had all the hype, but if the tables were turned, melo was the high school Phenom and number one pick, would lebron still have won it?

Really funny how this comes up after Melo has a huge game. In a normal comparison that would leave people saying "Maybe Melo is actually better than LeBron", instead it maps into "Remember that one thing that LeBron won where Melo was actually in the same ballpark as LeBron 8 years ago?"

As to who should have won, to me it was pretty even. ROY is actually a much harder award to award coherently than anyone realizes, and it's particularly tough in this case. The reality is that both guys were inefficient as hell and wouldn't have been the lead scorers on their respective teams if the teams were really good, and actually trying to win, but both were very impressive for rookies.

The one thing I have to correct though of what you said though is the implication that either of these guys was hugely responsible for the team turnaround. They weren't. We really haven't seen any rookie since Duncan who has a huge impact. What happened here first and foremost is that both teams tanked like hell the year before, and then they stopped tanking, which made the rookies look good.

How was Melo not hugely responsible for the Nuggets turn around? Yet you mention Duncan?

[LakersSquad]

No Melo deserved it. Back then everyone thought so and believe today the majority will vote Melo.

[koogiking]

LeBron won ROY because he was the better rookie during that season. Not rocket science.

Pts differential: +0.2 Melo
Reb differntial: +0.2 Melo
Ast differential: +2.7 Lebron
Stl differential: +0.4 Lebron
Blk differential: +0.2 Lebron

Lebron played 3 more minutes a game to get a slight advantage on Melo in a couple of statistical areas. Per 36 minutes, Melo blew Lebron out the water. Melo was a way better scorer(both volume was and efficiency wise) and a better rebounder and he led his team to the playoffs in the West where he lost 4-1 to Garnetts Timberwolves.

Lebron was terribly inefficient(.48TS%) even compared to Melo and he didn't make the playoffs in the super weak eastern conference despite having an all star front court

[INKtastic]

I always thought melo should have been rookie of the year, I never actually checked the numbers until tonight,aside from melo getting his team to the playoffs, he also shot a better fg% 3% free throw % and was better on the boards, LEBRON had all the hype, but if the tables were turned, melo was the high school Phenom and number one pick, would lebron still have won it?

Really funny how this comes up after Melo has a huge game. In a normal comparison that would leave people saying "Maybe Melo is actually better than LeBron", instead it maps into "Remember that one thing that LeBron won where Melo was actually in the same ballpark as LeBron 8 years ago?"

As to who should have won, to me it was pretty even. ROY is actually a much harder award to award coherently than anyone realizes, and it's particularly tough in this case. The reality is that both guys were inefficient as hell and wouldn't have been the lead scorers on their respective teams if the teams were really good, and actually trying to win, but both were very impressive for rookies.

The one thing I have to correct though of what you said though is the implication that either of these guys was hugely responsible for the team turnaround. They weren't. We really haven't seen any rookie since Duncan who has a huge impact. What happened here first and foremost is that both teams tanked like hell the year before, and then they stopped tanking, which made the rookies look good.

MVP David Robinson missing a season which the team then tanked after a 59 win season and then returning for Duncan's rookie season had something to do with that impact.

[Joao Saraiva]

LeBron won ROY because he was the better rookie during that season. Not rocket science.

Pts differential: +0.2 Melo
Reb differntial: +0.2 Melo
Ast differential: +2.7 Lebron
Stl differential: +0.4 Lebron
Blk differential: +0.2 Lebron

Lebron played 3 more minutes a game to get a slight advantage on Melo in a couple of statistical areas. Per 36 minutes, Melo blew Lebron out the water. Melo was a way better scorer(both volume was and efficiency wise) and a better rebounder and he led his team to the playoffs in the West where he lost 4-1 to Garnetts Timberwolves.

Lebron was terribly inefficient(.48TS%) even compared to Melo and he didn't make the playoffs in the super weak eastern conference despite having an all star front court

Maybe he had to for his team to even have a chance. Maybe if you play more minutes you get more fatigue, but that doesn't seem to matter to your efficiency taxes. If you play more minutes, more tired, your jumpshot % will decrease and your ast/to rate tends to grow as well.

If LeBron played 3 more minutes or not, that's not a concern. So if a guy plays 2 minutes per game and scores always 2 points, is he the scoring champ? By 36 minutes he would average 36 PPG... This a real lame argument.

[Elden Payton]

Hater thread.

Lebron really did deserve the award over Melo.

Melo was amazing but Lebron was even more so, Lebron was clearly the better all-around player even as a rook.

[koogiking]

Hater thread.

Lebron really did deserve the award over Melo.

Melo was amazing but Lebron was even more so, Lebron was clearly the better all-around player even as a rook.

Melo was better than Lebron at every aspect of basketball except for playmaking in their rookie seasons

[Joao Saraiva]

Hater thread.

Lebron really did deserve the award over Melo.

Melo was amazing but Lebron was even more so, Lebron was clearly the better all-around player even as a rook.

Melo was better than Lebron at every aspect of basketball except for playmaking in their rookie seasons

When did steals and blocks stop being aspects of basketball? Defense? 0.1 in PPG is that your argument? Really?

[TheOUTLAW]

Anyone that thinks the Cavs tanked the previous year didn't see the Cavs play. they were awful that year (oh and that was with a healthy Z and Boozer). It was because their guard play was terrible. While Davis put up good numbers he was clearly just in it for himself which is why the Cavs were so desperate to get rid of him before he pollute their new prized rookie. in the 2002 season the Cavs were normally out of the game by the start of the 2nd half and they would have easily had a worse record that anyone had they not inexplicably won their last 2 games when the teams they played rested their rosters. That is how Denver even ended up with a tie.

Seriously, if you think they tanked by doing anything other than maybe having a worse squad you have no idea what you are talking about. Might have been different had Wagner not gotten sick, but as is you are flatly wrong.

Jeez, I'm still having nightmares of Bimbo Coles, Smush Parker and Tierre (able) Brown as the Cavs PG rotation.