Bonn1997 wrote:I wanted to be as optimistic as possible but I couldn't help noticing that during Melo's awesome stretch in April, his shot selection didn't really improve. He was just hitting a higher percentage of his bad shots but appears now to have returned to his baseline.

Like Kobe. I know.

Bonn1997 wrote:

mrKnickShot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:I wanted to be as optimistic as possible but I couldn't help noticing that during Melo's awesome stretch in April, his shot selection didn't really improve. He was just hitting a higher percentage of his bad shots but appears now to have returned to his baseline.

Like Kobe. I know.

That's your default response to criticism of Melo's shot selection? If Kobe takes bad shots, it must be a great idea for Melo to take them too.

Bad shots are good if they go in and bad if they don't.

Yogi was a bad ball hitter but he still hit the ball - that made him a hall of famer.

Bonn1997 wrote:

mrKnickShot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

mrKnickShot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:I wanted to be as optimistic as possible but I couldn't help noticing that during Melo's awesome stretch in April, his shot selection didn't really improve. He was just hitting a higher percentage of his bad shots but appears now to have returned to his baseline.

Like Kobe. I know.

That's your default response to criticism of Melo's shot selection? If Kobe takes bad shots, it must be a great idea for Melo to take them too.

Bad shots are good if they go in and bad if they don't.

Yogi was a bad ball hitter but he still hit the ball - that made him a hall of famer.

Gambling that you get heads five times in a row is a bad choice. If you make the gamble and do get heads 5 times in a row, you still shouldn't have made the gamble and never should again. You can make off-balance fade-away shots occasionally but the worse thing you could conclude from that is that the off-balance shots are good ones that you should continue taking.

What's a bad shot for some are routine for others. Please see Dirk for further information!

Bonn1997 wrote:

mrKnickShot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

mrKnickShot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:I wanted to be as optimistic as possible but I couldn't help noticing that during Melo's awesome stretch in April, his shot selection didn't really improve. He was just hitting a higher percentage of his bad shots but appears now to have returned to his baseline.

Like Kobe. I know.

That's your default response to criticism of Melo's shot selection? If Kobe takes bad shots, it must be a great idea for Melo to take them too.

Bad shots are good if they go in and bad if they don't.

Yogi was a bad ball hitter but he still hit the ball - that made him a hall of famer.

Gambling that you get heads five times in a row is a bad choice. If you make the gamble and do get heads 5 times in a row, you still shouldn't have made the gamble and never should again. You can make off-balance fade-away shots occasionally but the worse thing you could conclude from that is that the off-balance shots are good ones that you should continue taking.

Very well put.

My take on Melo is that Melo has so much talent but hasn't learned how to use it to win. You would think he would've accepted the role to be a Point Forward something like Lebron does and get better at it, because he will always be doubled and there will always be an open teammate when the ball goes thru him. He gets a TON of touches and would get them even more in that role but rather than just launching tough shots, he could play the decoy much like Lebron does and once his teammates start knocking down shots, he'll be even more able to score when the defense is scrambling. That was the opportunity he had before him this year. If he had given it a full chance and really bought into the role it could've catapulted him to another level. Now it seems Dude just wants to score.

I hope he gets super hot in the next game or else he's gonna feel the wrath of the fans of NY. If he's just gonna take a ton of shots he better make a bunch of them and lead the team to a win.

nixluva wrote:Breen was EXTREMELY fair and balanced and didn't bash Melo in this interview. I don't know how many actually listened to it, but it wasn't really anything scandalous at all. He gave Melo credit for how he closed the season and how he acted after MDA resigned. Said he was a great teammate and got really hot. He just wondered if he understands that he has to help his teammates get off too against top teams like the Heat or a team like the Bulls where Melo ball won't win. Breen was very fair.

My take on Melo is that Melo has so much talent but hasn't learned how to use it to win. You would think he would've accepted the role to be a Point Forward something like Lebron does and get better at it, because he will always be doubled and there will always be an open teammate when the ball goes thru him. He gets a TON of touches and would get them even more in that role but rather than just launching tough shots, he could play the decoy much like Lebron does and once his teammates start knocking down shots, he'll be even more able to score when the defense is scrambling. That was the opportunity he had before him this year. If he had given it a full chance and really bought into the role it could've catapulted him to another level. Now it seems Dude just wants to score.

I hope he gets super hot in the next game or else he's gonna feel the wrath of the fans of NY. If he's just gonna take a ton of shots he better make a bunch of them and lead the team to a win.

I think it is odd that we are still on this whole "so much more potential" thing when its obvious that this he has in fact grown this year. This has to be the only year(or half) where we have seen a consistent improvement on defense and passing. Just like every other player, it is a process. He is still growing, which is scary. He obviously wasn't comfortable in the point forward role, so why continue to force it? Especially since he is already showing an improvement in passing. Also, one thing I learned from my years of playing is that many times the way you play reflects your personality off the court. LeBron is the kind of guy that loves to be loved and what guy doesn't love the teammate who is always looking for him. This comes natural to LeBron. He has excellent court vision. Melo on the other hand, in my opinion has more of a Kobe mentality. I really don't think Melo is concerned with his teammate feelings as long as they get the win. I mean just look at the last few minutes of the All-Star game. Before all of the media, espn and tnt analysts, Kobe Bryant the Black Mamba who is widely noted for his "killer instinct" and our Carmelo Anthony are the first to give LeBron a hard time for not taking the last shot. That moment to me spoke volumes to just how different these guys are. The man is a scorer. If he isn't comfortable in the point forward role that fine, as long as he give 100% at his position and plays to his full potential.

If you have a problem with Melo's shot selection fine. His court vision, fine. But I don't see how that justifies this Diva/Superstar tag that he is constantly being given despite any off-court OR on-court(whether you like his game or not)evidence to prove it.

Breen has been unbearable lately. And not just on Melo, with little comments here and there of a bunch of players and/or plays. I agree with those who say that JVG checks him and does so quickly.

nixluva wrote:Melo really tried for exactly 24 games, the exact number of games he played for Woody. If he had really bought into what MDA was trying to teach him perhaps he takes another step in his growth as a player. His effort level on D after MDA resigned was great, but it only underscored how much he wasn't doing throughout his career. He most certainly has the ability to be a more capable passer out of double teams, but he hasn't always been a truly WILLING passer given all the opportunities he has to do so. He's had some really good passing games, but overall he always reverts to being a scorer, even when it's obvious that he should be passing. His extreme confidence in his shot is both a blessing and a curse.

When a player truly learns to trust his teammates that's when he arrives. Sure Melo has top tier talent, but he has to know that he alone can't win and it's in his best interests to learn the TEAM game. What's frustrating is seeing glimpses of what he could be. He most certainly has the talent to lead a team in every facet. He made it worse by showing us just how good he could've been playing over the last 24 games of the season. Now the fanbase knows that he has the ability to play at a higher level, so when he doesn't it makes it harder to accept less than his best. Really the last thing he has to do is learn how to make his teammates better, which is what MDA was trying to teach him. People want to make MDA out to be the bad guy as if he was trying to take something away from Melo. He was trying to teach him about winning BB but too many Knicks fans took it the same way Melo did. Like he was trying to emasculate him. He was trying to empower him to take full control of his team in a way that would lead to real winning and not just going solo in regular season games. Imagine if Melo really put his all into trying to learn how to balance setting up his teammates off of his double teams and perfected it!!!