How much does melo have left in the tank?

[dhsilv2]

About the same amount as Lebron and Wade do.

Those two are not remotely equal...

Wade is done. James might be a star for another 6 years.

This is like apples and radioactive waste.

[dhsilv2]

Didn't play the Bulls nor Jimmy Butler nor Kawhi. Played bad teams in the east.

He played bad teams, and yet one of those bad teams also beat the Bulls...

Bulls were 4-0 against Cavs that season. They ducked the Bulls. Bulls being healthy beat the Cavs.

bartender, I'll have what he's having. Make it a half...I can't take something THAT strong.

[suns91fan]

He's slowly riding into the sunset with each of his last three seasons being largely unremarkable. 6th man of the bench on the contender would be the best role for him. Funny how Lebron's still on top of his game despite being the same age, and spending roughly 12 000 minutes on the court more than him.

[dhsilv2]

Melo still has his jump shot. If a team can get him into the game, I don't think he's out of shape, injured, or mentally questionable. He'll never be a defensive stopper but he's got plenty of scoring ability left for 2-3 more years. On the right team he could be a real value add still, even the go to scorer. But he's a hard fit for a lot of contenders.

[tundraknight]

A lot of people saying he's washed. I think he's getting underrated and could really help a team come playoff time.

Well he's not as washed as Wade, but he's obviously on the decline.

The 2003 NBA Draft is considered a Top 3 Best Draft Of All Time with Lebron, Melo, Wade, and Bosh.

Lebron is still considered the best player in the NBA, while Wade isn't even a Top 100 player anymore. Melo is still ranked as the 64th best player. And Bosh is out of the NBA for being unhealthy.

[The_Hater]

About the same amount as Lebron and Wade do.

Terrible answer.

[whocurrz]

Tough to say. He can still shoot in a catch and shoot role and is a solid rebounder. His team defense and closing out on shooters was putrid last year, he couldn't convert in the lane and wasn't very good at getting to the hoop. I think his knee has held him back the last 3 years and it should be easier with a smaller role. But the Knicks played at a slow pace and I don't think it was one of those things like Harden or Westbrook where he was carrying a huge offensive load and just would end up settling for jumpers late and playing defense because of exhaustion. He's older, has a bad knee and although not the train wreck casual fans might think he is on defense he's never been particularly good either.

Having a legit point guard, a smaller role and probably getting some nice catch and shoot opportunities though I think he should have a more efficient season.

[Brooklyn_34]

Regarding his defense, he's an average to good defender on a very good team, one such as the Olympic teams he's been on. He's not the terrible defender that the casual fan and ESPN would have you believe.

He's not a terrible defender because ESPN and the casual fan is saying so: He's a terrible defender because he's a terrible defender.


This is one case where the casual fan and ESPN is correct: when that happens, you know it must be blatant.

I've watched Carmelo a lot (hometown)...too much Carmelo. He doesn't switch or rotate as he should and his off the ball defense is atrocious. He cannot keep track of the ball and his man. He doesn't like fighting through screens. He sometimes doesn't see them coming. He is a very respectable on the ball defender if there's no screens he has to fight through and his man doesn't pass the ball.

I don't understand the logic of basing someone's defense on a few games played every four years; I'd rather base it on a sample of a few hundred games. I also don't buy the logic that if the team plays bad defense that the player must follow: you still do what you have to do.Otherwise is mental weakness or simply not carng.

At his advanced age and the fact that he's going to be playing a full season, I don't think it's reasonable to assume he's going to have a defensive renaissance.

[homecourtloss]

Wade has slipped quite a bit while LeBron just had one of the best playoff runs in NBA history.

Didn't play the Bulls nor Jimmy Butler nor Kawhi. Played bad teams in the east.

And went he got out of the East he really sucked. 34, 12 and 10 on 63% TS is really awful.

I swear this board is getting worse. How are people this stupid?

He's just trolling and is somehow allowed to do so to the tune of 50K+ posts.

[GQ Hot Dog]

So is Melo going to be a PF or a SF with OKC? I know PF has changed in the NBA more than any other position but how will Melo do against KAT, AD, Griffin and LMA?

[richboy]

Melo as a third option will likely still put up over 20 a game and do it with pretty good efficiency. Defensively he is a PF now which is fine. The world doesn't recognize it but Lebron is pretty much a PF now on defense. I'm predicting that Melo averages about 18-20 per game on around 56% TS. Maybe around a 112 Ortg. Not many third options are going to do better than that. It wouldn't shock me if he did even better. If he plays heavy minutes at PF with the attention that RW and PG will get he going to be shooting more open shots than he probably has shot the last 3 years in NY combined.

Think about it this way. If Golden State didn't exist we probably right now say OKC is one of the favorites for the title. They surely would have enough to beat anyone else in a series. Not that they would win the title but they have just as good a shot as San Antonio or Cleveland.

What most exciting about this is we get to see Melo in tough playoff situations again. A professional scorer like Melo has a ton of value in the playoffs. OKC should be a pretty good regular season team but if healthy be a better playoff team.

[richboy]

So is Melo going to be a PF or a SF with OKC? I know PF has changed in the NBA more than any other position but how will Melo do against KAT, AD, Griffin and LMA?

You have another big on the floor so you would have Melo defend the least talented big. In reality though in this small ball era I think those guys defending Melo is a bigger issue. Just not many teams are just throwing the ball in the post consistently.

[LookToShoot]

Maybe two or three more years. He got banged up when he had to play pf for a couple of seasons in NY. Fortunately the West isn't as physical as the East, just gotta watch out for Draymond's karate kicks.

[Dupp]

Melo will be really good next to good players. He's definitely underrated. Play him at the 4. Great catch and shoot guy.

Wade has slipped quite a bit while LeBron just had one of the best playoff runs in NBA history.

Didn't play the Bulls nor Jimmy Butler nor Kawhi. Played bad teams in the east.

And went he got out of the East he really sucked. 34, 12 and 10 on 63% TS is really awful.

I swear this board is getting worse. How are people this stupid?

It's just jb trying to force his dumb Lebron Schtick in anywhere he can but it doesn't even apply here.

[JordansBulls]

Melo will be really good next to good players. He's definitely underrated. Play him at the 4. Great catch and shoot guy.

Didn't play the Bulls nor Jimmy Butler nor Kawhi. Played bad teams in the east.

And went he got out of the East he really sucked. 34, 12 and 10 on 63% TS is really awful.

I swear this board is getting worse. How are people this stupid?

It's just jb trying to force his dumb Lebron Schtick in anywhere he can but it doesn't even apply here.

Jimmy held him to under 40% FG in one series and another held him to 43% FG averaging 24 ppg. Which goes to show those numbers would have been seriously affected playing against Jimmy Butler in round 2 instead of the Raptors.

[Dupp]

Melo will be really good next to good players. He's definitely underrated. Play him at the 4. Great catch and shoot guy.

And went he got out of the East he really sucked. 34, 12 and 10 on 63% TS is really awful.

I swear this board is getting worse. How are people this stupid?

It's just jb trying to force his dumb Lebron Schtick in anywhere he can but it doesn't even apply here.

Jimmy held him to under 40% FG in one series and another held him to 43% FG averaging 24 ppg. Which goes to show those numbers would have been seriously affected playing against Jimmy Butler in round 2 instead of the Raptors.

That has nothing to do with anything. Your obsession is strange.

[SmoothLefty21]

Just posted this in the other thread but he clearly lost a step last year. He looked old, like that first season when you could tell Wade was on the decline. Melo shot 7% below league average the rim. He's lost lateral quickness and his lift. He still has his jumper and will get plenty of open looks in OKC but he's not the scorer he was even two years ago. OKC fans will realize quickly that he can't finish inside anymore.

His defense is worse than it's ever been. His somewhat adequate on-ball defense is now just as bad as his legendarily poor help/team defense has always been.

The lone defense of Melo during his Knicks stint was that he never got the supporting cast that other stars got. It'll be interesting to see how he shifts into a tertiary role.

[jpengland]

Melo is still a dangerous scorer but he's terrible defensively. I think he's best suited playing about 25 mpg coming off the bench and being the go-to scorer for a 2nd unit but his combination of stature and ego makes that configuration unlikely.

This.

He's a decent ISO scorer with zero defense and is now pretty much exclusively a 4 (who doesn't really rebound).

If he could put in more effort on D and accept a roleplayer game, beating up on second units and playing as a relatively passive part of a starting unit offense, he'd be valuable.

As it is, with his mentality and lack of D, does he really offer more than an average starting 3/4? Does he help win games?

[SmoothLefty21]

His defensive woes are no longer an issue of just his effort/IQ. He doesn't have the physical tools anymore either.

[meekrab]

I'm gonna say not enough to make the All Star team in the West but probably 18/6/3 on decent efficiency.