have you noticed he is looking worn out during practice/post game interviews? could be the pressure or the fact that he's playing both ends of the court now?

I'm hoping that this is a turning pt in his career where this is going to transition him into a well rounded player like it did for Paul Pierce.

we shall see.

SlimChin wrote:i was hating on melo during the losing streak and the resigning of MDA. but i see him trying out there on both ends of the court. personally i don't care about the points, i want to see rebounding and defense—effort.

have you noticed he is looking worn out during practice/post game interviews? could be the pressure or the fact that he's playing both ends of the court now?

I'm hoping that this is a turning pt in his career where this is going to transition him into a well rounded player like it did for Paul Pierce.

we shall see.

airchibundo507 wrote:It has nothing to do with whether or not he is in shape. He game out of the gates blazing at the start of the season. Then the injuries added up and his shooting went to sht. Either he has lingering injuries or he is just in a major slump which was initially caused by the injuries. Either way, he will turn it around at some point this season, just like Amare and Dirk did.

Agree 100% . Haters only see what they want to see. Amare still not back to the superstar level but nice to see improvement.

Not sure he's ever had shots blocked with the frequency they've been blocked this year. The wrist may be an issue on his jumper, but he is consistently having shots blocked down low. He seems to think that he can just go over people and score, but he does not have the explosiveness or lift to get it done. He tried to dunk it last night instead of slashing for a layup and looked pretty lame in the attempt.

Perhaps playing decent D has been an issue for him. The best two way stars are always in great shape. Very hard top play consistent D and also be an exceptional scorer (who is not a big man) unless you are in excellent shape. Anthony has made the effort to play D this year, which means he's using more energy- the same energy he would usually use on offence.

Even with the hot start at the beginning of the year, it was obvious that Anthony didn't do anything special to get his body tuned up for this season. Folks want to see this criticism as hate- fine- but it is true nonetheless. He was never a spectacular athlete to begin with, and has done nothing to show that he understands his status on the team (and what the Knicks gave up to get him) means he has to spend some extra time building up his body and his game. Guys had extra time to get into physical (not basketball) shape because the season started late- Anthony obviously did not feel the need to change his offseason "workout" program.

He is, in terms of his career, at a turning point in some ways, and unless he deals with the aging and wearing down process by getting and staying in shape he is not going to be the player he was to be a few years ago.

Amare came to the Knicks last year in great shape (This year was another story, but backs are terrible injuries if you want to work out.). Lin retooled his body and athletic abilities. Harrelson looked thinner and a bit more cut, and Fields, Shumpert, and Chandler came into the season looking like they had cared for their respective bodies.

Every big move this team has made in the last two seasons has been influenced in one way or another by Anthony. Anthony has to understand this and take the appropriate measures to live up to the expectations people have for him. Unfortunately, he can't do the real workouts he needs because the season is being played out, but you have to hope that he comes to understand that the season never really ends and a new work ethic and routine is in order if he wants to lead the Knicks to a title.

mrKnickShot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:Given how Carmelo has played, I don't see how anyone criticizing him could be called a hater. That's like criticizing a math professor for failing a student who can't add. It's impossible to know who hates a player when the player's performance is bad. It's only if and when he does well that you'd be able to assess hatred.

If you showed any equality in your criticism you would have credibility. But when you direct all you HATE at one person when there are many causes to a problem you just come off as a DISGRUNTLED HATER.

airchibundo507 wrote:It has nothing to do with whether or not he is in shape. He game out of the gates blazing at the start of the season. Then the injuries added up and his shooting went to sht. Either he has lingering injuries or he is just in a major slump which was initially caused by the injuries. Either way, he will turn it around at some point this season, just like Amare and Dirk did.

Comments like this are quite misleading, because most people only remember those "blazing (games) at the start of the season" vaguely. But that's why we have websites like basketball-reference to check.

For the 1st 20 games, Melo shot 40% or below in 11 out of the 20 games, including a 0% performance (yes, zero percent FGA) against Charlotte. That's 40% or below, not 50%. If that's blazing, I'd hate to see what a mediocre Melo would look like.

frustrating.