Race to the MVP.

[bbms]

The 3 deserving MVP candidates right now are Durant, LeBron and Duncan. Chris Paul has an outside shot.

[TheGarden]

Knicks have played in an easy schedule so far and Melo hasn't done anything special in the stat-sheet.

Melo might be top 5 in my MVP, but not top 3. He doesn't have much of a shot at MVP. The MVP will be between Durant and Lebron.

where do you guys get off saying this

the correct phrase is "i feel he doesn't have much of a shot and I think it will be between Durant and LeBron

stop saying guys have no shot, thats incorrect Carmelo has a case, Paul, Duncan, Randolph, etc..

and again the stat sheet means some but his play on the court has been MVP worthy his team is following his lead and their 12-4 with big wins

and easy schedule I think not

Miami
Philly x 2
Dallas x 2
Houston
San Antonio
Memphis
Brooklyn

[Protoss]

This Durant homer is formerly Joyner from ISH -- one of the worst Bball forums on the internet. Even he's hated on there. As you can all see, he's highly insecure, which is why he manipulates stats anytime he can to favor his argument. That "hypothetical" KD thread he made is also another sign of his attachment to the internet.
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It is between KD and LBJ right now, with KD slightly ahead. However, the Thunder have had an easier schedule with a higher percentage of home games played. After the all-star break, it should be clearer who is having a better season.

If the Heat beat the Knicks on Thursday, they can go on a 14+ win streak. Their next real test would be OKC on Dec. 25.

Edit: Duncan is a good #3 in the race. Don't mention Kobe. $100m payroll, most home games played, weak schedule, and losing.

[PurpleRooster]

LeBron fans are insecure, it's fairly obvious

Best player in the league.
Multiple MVPs.
Finals MVP
Olympic gold and championship in this calander year...

There is a lot for LeBron fans to be insecure about, right guy?

[airchibundo507]

it is truly shocking the lack of recognition Melo is receiving. Melo should be considered a top 3 MVP candidate in every ranking, considering he is playing at a top 5 level without a single other all-star or at the very least consistent scoring threat on the team. the Knicks' second and third option scorers are Felton and JR Smith for christsakes. Yet the team is 12-4 despite an onslaught of injuries and away games.

These guys are playing good basketball. Their shot is falling. No wonder Knicks look good. They are the best team at keeping the ball from a turnover and are the 3rd best team in eFG%. Shots falling, few turnovers, this is good baskeball. Good team basketball.

Carmelo is sllghtly below team average in both aspects of the game.

Melo has an astronomical usage of 34% for this efficient offense, so like it or not the efficiency of the offense is going to reflect on his scoring abilities, his ability to draw double teams and manufacture open looks/opportunities for his teammates. Again, Melo is the only guy on the knicks defenses regard as being able to consistently put the ball in the hoop... the only legitimate scoring threat on a team otherwise filled with streaky scorers.

[airchibundo507]

Knicks have played in an easy schedule so far and Melo hasn't done anything special in the stat-sheet.

Melo might be top 5 in my MVP, but not top 3. He doesn't have much of a shot at MVP. The MVP will be between Durant and Lebron.

lol easy schedule, huh?

strength of schedule:
New York .519 (#6), 7 home games, 9 road games (overall: 12-4)
Oklahoma City 0.499 (#14), 11 home games, 7 road games (overall: 14-4)

again, if you adjust the stat sheets of lebron, durant and melo per 36 to account for the blowouts melo has unfairly sat during, their stat sheets are far more comparable:

per 36
melo 26.6ppg, 7.1rpg, 2.1 apg
durant 24.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 3.9 apg
lebron 23.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 6.2 apg

[airchibundo507]

I hope we have at least gotten to the point where this is a thread where we only discuss two players. LeBron and Durant. Discuss all other players elsewhere.

the thread is race to the mvp, which means it's not intended to be a fanboy debate between lebron and durant homers. if rose can win the mvp, melo sure as hell has a chance granted the knicks maintain their success.

[OptimusOne6]

lol easy schedule, huh?

strength of schedule:
New York .519 (#6), 7 home games, 9 road games (overall: 12-4)
Oklahoma City 0.499 (#14), 11 home games, 7 road games (overall: 14-4)

Mike Woodson's teams always start off hot and the Knicks have lost to pretty much every good team they've played except Miami and San Antonio.

again, if you adjust the stat sheets of lebron, durant and melo per 36 to account for the blowouts melo has unfairly sat during, their stat sheets are far more comparable:

per 36
melo 26.6ppg, 7.1rpg, 2.1 apg
durant 24.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 3.9 apg
lebron 23.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 6.2 apg

I would completely ignore efficiency if I was supporting Melo too, probably because it is his biggest weakness. I would also ignore things that don't show up in the stat-sheet such as defense, keeping the ball-movement going, etc.

Melo is not in the conversation, but keep trying to convince everyone that because no one except Knick and other Melo fanboys will agree.

[airchibundo507]

Mike Woodson's teams always start off hot and the Knicks have lost to pretty much every good team they've played except Miami and San Antonio.

Woodson was 18-6 last year when he took over for the Knicks. 12-4 so far this year (30-10 combined). When will the heat let up? lol

The Knicks have only lost four games. The Houston loss (on the road) was an embarrassment, admittedly, in which the team didn't show up. The other three losses were road games on the ends of back-to-backs against the Grizzlies (the best team in the league thus far), Nets and (the well-coached .500) Mavericks . The Nets and Mavericks games were both incidences where Melo blew game winning jumpshots when time expired (and the Knicks lost to the Nets in OT).

In other words, those losses were completely justifiable. For every loss against an elite team the Knicks have a win against another elite team.

I would completely ignore efficiency if I was supporting Melo too, probably because it is his biggest weakness. I would also ignore things that don't show up in the stat-sheet such as defense, keeping the ball-movement going, etc.

Melo is not in the conversation, but keep trying to convince everyone that because no one except Knick and other Melo fanboys will agree.

In what world is Melo's 47/44/78 inefficient? Maybe compared to the #1 and #2 players in the league, but this isn't a comparison based on talent or ability. The criteria is value to team success, and goddamnit the Knicks barely sniff the playoffs in the east without Melo, a statement that can't be said about the Heat or Thunder without their best players.

[airchibundo507]

the knicks were mocked by naysayers (and I mean most of the NBA community) for letting lin walk and replacing him with an overweight raymond felton... those naysayers howled when the knicks added veteran presence in kidd, camby, k. thomas and rasheed wallace. fact of the matter is there were hardly any expectations for the knicks coming into this season, especially with Amare going down in the first preseason game.

now the knicks are contending for the best record in the league with literally only one all-star on the roster. tell me... who on the knicks compares to bosh, wade, westbrook, parker, gasol, gay, griffin, etc? the knicks have felton shooting 3-19 FG one game, JR shooting 1-11 FG the next... there is no way to argue against Melo being a top 3 MVP candidate at this point.

[OptimusOne6]

In other words, those losses were completely justifiable. For every loss against an elite team the Knicks have a win against another elite team.

They have beaten two good teams. The Heat where they didn't even care or try and the Spurs. The Spurs is the only legitimate won you got, congratulations. Actually, I don't even know why I said you got when you are clearly just a Melo fanboy and you couldn't careless about the Knicks.

In what world is Melo's 47/44/78 inefficient? Maybe compared to the #1 and #2 players in the league, but this isn't a comparison based on talent or ability. The criteria is value to team success, and goddamnit the Knicks barely sniff the playoffs in the east without Melo, a statement that can't be said about the Heat or Thunder without their best players.

Melo has always been inefficent and he looks even worse when being compared to Lebron and Durant, the two best players in the league and the only two MVP candidates in the league.

Again, only Melo fanboys and Knicks fans are trying to act like he is even in the conversation, and he isn't. It is between Durant and Lebron, the two best players in the league. Melo is probably not even top 5, or top 10 for that matter.

[EscapoTHB]

.. there is no way to argue against Melo being a top 3 MVP candidate at this point.

Lebron and durant have played better than him for teams with better records.

...that was easier than you made it out to be.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[airchibundo507]

They have beaten two good teams. The Heat where they didn't even care or try and the Spurs. The Spurs is the only legitimate won you got, congratulations. Actually, I don't even know why I said you got when you are clearly just a Melo fanboy and you couldn't careless about the Knicks.

The Heat "don't try" against a lot of teams in the league. They are coasting after winning a championship, I get it. The Knicks just happened to smash them by 20 points, and no other team they were coasting against has the pleasure of saying that.

Sure, call only one win legitimate and try to downplay our success but we are 12-4 after having 6th toughest schedule in the league.

Melo has always been inefficent and he looks even worse when being compared to Lebron and Durant, the two best players in the league and the only two MVP candidates in the league.

Go back and re-read the post you quoted.

[airchibundo507]

.. there is no way to argue against Melo being a top 3 MVP candidate at this point.

Lebron and durant have played better than him for teams with better records.

...that was easier than you made it out to be.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

*scratches head*

1. durant/lebron
2. lebron/durant
3. melo

it's easier to count if you use your fingers

[Protoss]

the knicks were mocked by naysayers (and I mean most of the NBA community) for letting lin walk and replacing him with an overweight raymond felton... those naysayers howled when the knicks added veteran presence in kidd, camby, k. thomas and rasheed wallace. fact of the matter is there were hardly any expectations for the knicks coming into this season, especially with Amare going down in the first preseason game.

now the knicks are contending for the best record in the league with literally only one all-star on the roster. tell me... who on the knicks compares to bosh, wade, westbrook, parker, gasol, gay, griffin, etc? the knicks have felton shooting 3-19 FG one game, JR shooting 1-11 FG the next... there is no way to argue against Melo being a top 3 MVP candidate at this point.

Don't expect people to feel bad for the Knicks. They spend $80million on their team. Melo doesn't get any bonus points for bailing on Denver and winning even less. Are people suppose to feel sorry for him? If LBJ went to Heat and they were losing more than the Cavs overall (like losing in the first round), he shouldn't ask for sympathy.

There is definitely a way to argue Melo not being top-3 MVP: he simply isn't. KD, LBJ, and Duncan lead the league right now. LeBron was the only all-star on the Cavs and he was still efficient. Additionally, Amare's injury is not a legitimate argument for Melo's MVP race. Amare coming back might hurt the Knicks more than help. Because Melo will very likely finish the season with lower stats and efficiency than KD and LBJ, the Knicks would need more wins for him to be considered. It's just the reality of the situation.

Whatever the case, the Knicks haven't proven they can be a winning team. OKC, MIA, and SAS all get the benefit of the doubt in this category. Everyone can see the Knicks going on a 3-5 game losing streak more than the other teams.

Overall, Melo is a top-5 candidate but not 3. Even if he were top-3, there would still be a huge gap from #1 and 2.

[kingkirk]

Guys, cut the nonsense. This thread is too discuss the merits of who is an MVP candidate, not who your favorite player is.

Get this back on topic now, or you will be warned/suspended

[TheGarden]

The media saying Melo is an MVP candidate on one hand, the other has realGM Durant and LeBron fan boys saying no one else has a chance.

Carmelo is so called inefficient because he doesn't have another player to take substantial pressure off of him on the floor. James had 4, Durant has 2.

People continue to bring up last year, the year before, etc.... none of that matters right now its about this year and when you watch games you see Carmelo is having a helluva year.

Durant- the advanced stats king
LeBron- overall game is just crazy right now
Carmelo- just doin work on the court

[orangeparka]

Melo's just been insane. Definitely in the conversation for sure.

[bbms]

The media saying Melo is an MVP candidate on one hand, the other has realGM Durant and LeBron fan boys saying no one else has a chance.

Carmelo is so called inefficient because he doesn't have another player to take substantial pressure off of him on the floor. James had 4, Durant has 2.

People continue to bring up last year, the year before, etc.... none of that matters right now its about this year and when you watch games you see Carmelo is having a helluva year.

Durant- the advanced stats king
LeBron- overall game is just crazy right now
Carmelo- just doin work on the court

Knicks team is shooting better than Melo, third best team in the league in eFG%, 7th best 3pt shooting team. Felton, Kidd, Ronnie Brewer and JR Smith having carreer highs in 3pt%. There are 5 Knicks playing over 10 mpg shooting over 40 3pt%, and you say that no player take substantial pressure off him on the floor? COME ON.

Carmelo is not even close to Durant, LeBron and Duncan as a player this season. I like Carmelo, he's a good player, probably top10 in the league, yeah, he'll have MVP credit this season just like Kobe did last season without deserving a true shot, but still not a MVP caliber player. Hopefully the league won't make the same mistake as 2011.

New York Knicks team record is a product of a good defensive team, hot from three point land, above average rebounding team and a volume scorer. Melo isn't carrying this team like other players in this league does.

[TheKingOfVa360]

The media saying Melo is an MVP candidate on one hand, the other has realGM Durant and LeBron fan boys saying no one else has a chance.

Carmelo is so called inefficient because he doesn't have another player to take substantial pressure off of him on the floor. James had 4, Durant has 2.

People continue to bring up last year, the year before, etc.... none of that matters right now its about this year and when you watch games you see Carmelo is having a helluva year.

Durant- the advanced stats king
LeBron- overall game is just crazy right now
Carmelo- just doin work on the court

Melo is top 3 on the nba.com mvp race, that holds more weight than a bunch of guys on realgm that have only seen two Knicks games this year and are Melo haters. I watched every Knicks game so far and Melo has a better case than Lebron so far for MVP. Melo is playing hard every play and Bron is coasting. Melo faces double teams every game. Dude is the only all star on his team and has a top record. Bron has 2 all-stars on his team and they are only a half a game better than the Knicks and got blown out vs them. Writers think about things like that when they vote, thats why Drose won MVP and Nash won two.