Magic PG: So Let Me Get This Straight...

[Fat Kat]

Nearly everywhere I've been today folks were talking about that play of Melo blowing off the play Hornacek wanted. With one person that I respect their b-ball knowledge I told him "had he made the shot, everything would have been fine". They agreed for the most part.

The part that is bad about it is...and I see the discussion about Melo's IQ, and no, I don't think he's a smart basketball player, skilled absolutely, not smart. Melo is actually on the dunce side on the basketball court. If his brain matched his skillset, he'd certainly use his variety of ways to produce points on the court in a much easier way, and likely would have been an NBA champion by now somewhere. Every shot he takes seems to be one he has to work hard to get off. the harder the shot, the tougher the cover, the more he wants to shoot that shot.

At least JR was honest when he said he'd rather have a contested shot than an open one.....

"I'd rather take a contested shot than an open shot any day," he said. "It's kind of boring when you get open shots. It's more pressure because when you get a wide-open shot everyone is expecting you to make it."

Melo is heck of an offensive talent for sure, can do many things on and off the ball, and has shown at times he can be a capable defender, playmaker, etc....and yes, he'll certainly be in the HOF.

But he'll be lumped into the group of those guys that wont be talked about so much once they retire, and no he wont be getting his jersey retired in the MSG rafters. That really makes no sense to even consider at this point.

Not only does he want to take contested shots, he takes certain matchups and intense defense personally, as if to prove a point to the defender. It almost always results in a low percentage shot. I'm pretty sure it's a strategy employed by a few teams. Harden was goading him in both games against them.

[bklynstoops]

way too much back and forth about Melo. He's really not worth all the fuss, and that's the problem. The Knicks need to pivot hard. Put KP in the best system for his talents and build around that system. Hornacek may or may not be that coach for KP, I really haven't seen enough, but part of that is because of the distraction of aging vets that may be freelancing on both ends of the court. If they are, start moving these guys out, including Melo, because our goal shouldn't be as short term as getting to the playoffs this year.

You've been around here long enough to know how provocative Melo is on this forum.

First you say way too much talk about Melo and then you end by saying, if he has to then he has to go. Well, there's a whole bunch of other members here who want to debate that notion.

So, welcome to the club. At least you're on the right team!

you're right. There's no safe ground, is there?

[CJackson]

Isiah just played down the Melo Horny incident saying players caliber of Melo have way more leeway on offense, they need to buy in with coach on D, and said since he knows Horny personally well he is a defensive minded coach , who will put defense first but NBA is offense first atm

I really hate when that piece of trash Isiah comments on our team. Don't care what he has to say.

Isiah is a smarter basketball mind and a better player than Melo ever was. He is credible.

His downfall was that instead of trying to rebuild from scratch, he tried to flip expiring contracts and deals into talented young guys. What he underestimated was the mental problems and lack of motivation that these guys had. It wasn't a terrible strategy on paper. However, many feel that Dolan influenced this strategy. For a long time, the general consensus was that you can't rebuild in New York. I'm not defending Isiah as a coach or GM with the Knicks. I'm just saying that he has proven to have an eye for talent and is extremely smart basketball-wise. He struggled with understanding the fact that some players are simply not motivated.

Anyone who is in the conversation for Top 10 Best PGs of all time is certainly no dummy. Very flawed man with the kinds of neuroses that negatively impacted his managerial judgment, but the man knows ball. He was a great, great PG.

[CJackson]

Nearly everywhere I've been today folks were talking about that play of Melo blowing off the play Hornacek wanted. With one person that I respect their b-ball knowledge I told him "had he made the shot, everything would have been fine". They agreed for the most part.

The part that is bad about it is...and I see the discussion about Melo's IQ, and no, I don't think he's a smart basketball player, skilled absolutely, not smart. Melo is actually on the dunce side on the basketball court. If his brain matched his skillset, he'd certainly use his variety of ways to produce points on the court in a much easier way, and likely would have been an NBA champion by now somewhere. Every shot he takes seems to be one he has to work hard to get off. the harder the shot, the tougher the cover, the more he wants to shoot that shot.

At least JR was honest when he said he'd rather have a contested shot than an open one.....

"I'd rather take a contested shot than an open shot any day," he said. "It's kind of boring when you get open shots. It's more pressure because when you get a wide-open shot everyone is expecting you to make it."

Melo is heck of an offensive talent for sure, can do many things on and off the ball, and has shown at times he can be a capable defender, playmaker, etc....and yes, he'll certainly be in the HOF.

But he'll be lumped into the group of those guys that wont be talked about so much once they retire, and no he wont be getting his jersey retired in the MSG rafters. That really makes no sense to even consider at this point.

Not only does he want to take contested shots, he takes certain matchups and intense defense personally, as if to prove a point to the defender. It almost always results in a low percentage shot. I'm pretty sure it's a strategy employed by a few teams. Harden was goading him in both games against them.

It is clearly part of game prepping for the Knicks now to engage in a game of Poke the Bear with Melo. Some players get more fierce and focused with trash talk, but the whole league knows the deal with Melo and how easy it is to break his concentration with some taunts or a few dirty moves

[captvict]

id go with
Baker
Holiday
NDour
KP
Willie
And then Bring the old guys off the bench. Be nice if the coaching staff had the guts to do something like that. But again they don't want to upset their primadonnas

[Jay10]

Nearly everywhere I've been today folks were talking about that play of Melo blowing off the play Hornacek wanted. With one person that I respect their b-ball knowledge I told him "had he made the shot, everything would have been fine". They agreed for the most part.

The part that is bad about it is...and I see the discussion about Melo's IQ, and no, I don't think he's a smart basketball player, skilled absolutely, not smart. Melo is actually on the dunce side on the basketball court. If his brain matched his skillset, he'd certainly use his variety of ways to produce points on the court in a much easier way, and likely would have been an NBA champion by now somewhere. Every shot he takes seems to be one he has to work hard to get off. the harder the shot, the tougher the cover, the more he wants to shoot that shot.

At least JR was honest when he said he'd rather have a contested shot than an open one.....



Melo is heck of an offensive talent for sure, can do many things on and off the ball, and has shown at times he can be a capable defender, playmaker, etc....and yes, he'll certainly be in the HOF.

But he'll be lumped into the group of those guys that wont be talked about so much once they retire, and no he wont be getting his jersey retired in the MSG rafters. That really makes no sense to even consider at this point.

Not only does he want to take contested shots, he takes certain matchups and intense defense personally, as if to prove a point to the defender. It almost always results in a low percentage shot. I'm pretty sure it's a strategy employed by a few teams. Harden was goading him in both games against them.

It is clearly part of game prepping for the Knicks now to engage in a game of Poke the Bear with Melo. Some players get more fierce and focused with trash talk, but the whole league knows the deal with Melo and how easy it is to break his concentration with some taunts or a few dirty moves

If you want to get under Carmelo's skin, have the person he's defending score on him, and on the very next possession Carmelo is going make it his business to score on that player.

[CJackson]

Not only does he want to take contested shots, he takes certain matchups and intense defense personally, as if to prove a point to the defender. It almost always results in a low percentage shot. I'm pretty sure it's a strategy employed by a few teams. Harden was goading him in both games against them.

It is clearly part of game prepping for the Knicks now to engage in a game of Poke the Bear with Melo. Some players get more fierce and focused with trash talk, but the whole league knows the deal with Melo and how easy it is to break his concentration with some taunts or a few dirty moves

If you want to get under Carmelo's skin, have the person he's defending score on him, and on the very next possession Carmelo is going make it his business to score on that player.

Mano-a-Mano can be a valuable instinct. Look at Jordan. But you have to manage it. That's the issue with Melo. He lacks common sense.

[Adelheid]

I smell an incoming civil war

[CJackson]

I smell an incoming civil war

Except this time Old Dixie and Boston Harbor are located inside MSG

[Gary Cokeman]

I will be aligning myself with Team Tank during the upcoming Civil War

[NYKnicksTAPE]

I will be aligning myself with Team Tank during the upcoming Civil War

Team Tank vs Team Mediocre won't be much of a Civil War...I would hope that most people would recognize by now that this core is headed nowhere

[xNewYorkMadex]

I like Melo alot, always supported him thru the years. In a way we failed him when he was giving us everything he had (12-13,13-14), but this year hes now failing us.

I absolutely hate the 2 games hes gotten thrown out, especiallIy the Hawks game. As CJack, Fat Kat and others have said, it seems easy to throw Melo out of his game. If I was a good defender and guarding Melo, I want him one on one, dont need the double team. Melo thinks hes still 27-28 years old and cant hit those contested shots and put opponents in a blender with ease, but this year it hasnt been the case. Get physical with him and try to get in his head. Sooner or later Melo will think the defender guarding him isnt sh** and thinks he can score at will. But because Melo often doesnt respect his defender no matter how good the defender is, he will try to make it a point that he can score on him easily. Melo is still getting the exact same shots hes always getting his entire career, but it seems his age and body are now catching up. Hes performing as if he more of 2nd/3rd option now with his inconsistency on any given night.

Thugger also pointed out Melo's bball iq, which I agree with completely. Playing basketball is all about reaction and seeing things before it happens. Melo doesnt have that ability to react quickly and make the right decision (on both sides, but more so on D). The same can be said for Rose. I always thought Melo could lead a team to a title as the best player on the team, but now that hes declining and his bball IQ hasnt improved, I just dont think its possible.

Of course, I am NOT blaming Melo for everything that has gone wrong this season. Of course everyone shares the blame including Phil, Rose, Noah, Jennings, even KP who still needs to work on his defensive awareness. But if Melo really views himself as a top 10 player (which he made a comment about in the off-season), well then hes been drastically underperforming to his expectations.

[E-Balla]

Nearly everywhere I've been today folks were talking about that play of Melo blowing off the play Hornacek wanted. With one person that I respect their b-ball knowledge I told him "had he made the shot, everything would have been fine". They agreed for the most part.

The part that is bad about it is...and I see the discussion about Melo's IQ, and no, I don't think he's a smart basketball player, skilled absolutely, not smart. Melo is actually on the dunce side on the basketball court. If his brain matched his skillset, he'd certainly use his variety of ways to produce points on the court in a much easier way, and likely would have been an NBA champion by now somewhere. Every shot he takes seems to be one he has to work hard to get off. the harder the shot, the tougher the cover, the more he wants to shoot that shot.

At least JR was honest when he said he'd rather have a contested shot than an open one.....

"I'd rather take a contested shot than an open shot any day," he said. "It's kind of boring when you get open shots. It's more pressure because when you get a wide-open shot everyone is expecting you to make it."

Melo is heck of an offensive talent for sure, can do many things on and off the ball, and has shown at times he can be a capable defender, playmaker, etc....and yes, he'll certainly be in the HOF.

But he'll be lumped into the group of those guys that wont be talked about so much once they retire, and no he wont be getting his jersey retired in the MSG rafters. That really makes no sense to even consider at this point.

Its funny to me how one play taken out of context is such a story now. Was Melo supposed to reset the offense and let the shot clock run out? Once KOQ didn't set the screen he called for he had to choice but to chuck it and hope it went in. The reaction to this play let's me know who really watched the game (not that there's an issue with not watching that pitiful performance) and who's faking because when that play happened I was more mad at KOQ and BJ for even putting us in the situation where Melo had 3-4 seconds to iso and score.

[F N 11]

Watching Boston vs Utah. I wanna cry

[E-Balla]

Lolololololol

The level of dislike you have for Melo is

What kind of person doesn't like a game where someone lights it up for 60.

You must be a real joy to be with at the Rucker or Dyckman.

If I want to go and enjoy players struttin' their stuff and lighting it up, then I'll go to Rucker or Dyckman. BUT WHEN I WATCH THE FCKING KNICKS, I WANT TO FCKING WIN!!!!!!! And I don't care how pretty it looks either. Did you forget the 80s-90s Knicks?

Other than that, I hope you're having a Breezey day.

BINGO WINGO but this is the hoops mentality of many on this board -- style over substance.

Yeah I miss the days of the 80s when Bernard King was scoring 60...

[whocares1]

I will be aligning myself with Team Tank during the upcoming Civil War

Team Tank vs Team Mediocre won't be much of a Civil War...I would hope that most people would recognize by now that this core is headed nowhere

They were headed nowhere before the season started..I believe you're just a recent inductee in team tank.

[whocares1]

Nearly everywhere I've been today folks were talking about that play of Melo blowing off the play Hornacek wanted. With one person that I respect their b-ball knowledge I told him "had he made the shot, everything would have been fine". They agreed for the most part.

The part that is bad about it is...and I see the discussion about Melo's IQ, and no, I don't think he's a smart basketball player, skilled absolutely, not smart. Melo is actually on the dunce side on the basketball court. If his brain matched his skillset, he'd certainly use his variety of ways to produce points on the court in a much easier way, and likely would have been an NBA champion by now somewhere. Every shot he takes seems to be one he has to work hard to get off. the harder the shot, the tougher the cover, the more he wants to shoot that shot.

At least JR was honest when he said he'd rather have a contested shot than an open one.....

"I'd rather take a contested shot than an open shot any day," he said. "It's kind of boring when you get open shots. It's more pressure because when you get a wide-open shot everyone is expecting you to make it."

Melo is heck of an offensive talent for sure, can do many things on and off the ball, and has shown at times he can be a capable defender, playmaker, etc....and yes, he'll certainly be in the HOF.

But he'll be lumped into the group of those guys that wont be talked about so much once they retire, and no he wont be getting his jersey retired in the MSG rafters. That really makes no sense to even consider at this point.

Its funny to me how one play taken out of context is such a story now. Was Melo supposed to reset the offense and let the shot clock run out? Once KOQ didn't set the screen he called for he had to choice but to chuck it and hope it went in. The reaction to this play let's me know who really watched the game (not that there's an issue with not watching that pitiful performance) and who's faking because when that play happened I was more mad at KOQ and BJ for even putting us in the situation where Melo had 3-4 seconds to iso and score.

I thought there was a set play, Melo backed up and iso'd. I think he called O'Quinn as a last resort because he knew he wasn't going to get off a good look and he buckled. Not blaming Melo because no one in that lineup could score, but it's a shame what's happened to his reliable scoring ability.

[Gary Cokeman]

I will be aligning myself with Team Tank during the upcoming Civil War

Team Tank vs Team Mediocre won't be much of a Civil War...I would hope that most people would recognize by now that this core is headed nowhere

They were headed nowhere before the season started..I believe you're just a recent inductee in team tank.

I been team tank since 2000.... and i'm a Syracuse fan who never wanted Melo on the team in the first place. I just wanna rebuild properly for ONCE.

[NYKnicksTAPE]

I will be aligning myself with Team Tank during the upcoming Civil War

Team Tank vs Team Mediocre won't be much of a Civil War...I would hope that most people would recognize by now that this core is headed nowhere

They were headed nowhere before the season started..I believe you're just a recent inductee in team tank.

well you're wrong since I've been on Team Tank for damn near 2 years...too bad we didn't have our pick last season

[Guano]

Noah for 4 years 72 million after he was benched the season before for sucking lmfaooooo yikes

yeah, this gets too much of a pass. this will go down as a legendary bad knicks signing. and that's impressive considering the amount of suspect signings this team has made throughout the years.