I can go either.

Melo is not an alpha which is fine as our Captains are. Melo has been better under Billups and has shown maturity.

I forget that Melo did lead his team to the NCAA championship but mostly on a tournament run. Felton has one of them also.

I like the pedigree of championship players. Felton was the man for carolina for 3 seasons running the point.

Got reasons for melo, and reasons against. Depends on what the price is.

Nalod wrote:Im for it if Donnie thinks it, and if he don't Im good with other options.

I can go either.

Melo is not an alpha which is fine as our Captains are. Melo has been better under Billups and has shown maturity.

I forget that Melo did lead his team to the NCAA championship but mostly on a tournament run. Felton has one of them also.

I like the pedigree of championship players. Felton was the man for carolina for 3 seasons running the point.

Got reasons for melo, and reasons against. Depends on what the price is.

I do like that Melo wants to be here, a Knicks and win in NY. It would be MOST exciting to see this core grow and develop into something special however, and I do think they can

Panos wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks.

You're out of your mind. Kevin Garnett was a two way beast. Former MVP.
Dwayne Wade is a wrecking ball. Dwight Howard is the most dominant Center in the game today.
And well, I don't like Pau Gasol, but he plays both sides of the ball.

Kevin Garnett was an excellent defender but as a scorer, he left many wanting. Despite being a good offensive player, Garnett had difficulties scoring at will, especially in the 4th. At the end of the day, this game boils down into who can put the ball into the basket. This is why offensive players are paid exponentially more than defensive players. When you need a basket, especially in crunch time, Melo is one of the best at delivering in the league. Charles Barkley said it best when he referred to Melo as the "best flat-out scorer in the game." It is because of this particular skill that I put Melo in the realm of a Garnett, Wade and Howard because his skill is one only 4 players (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade) in the league currently boast. And when it is all said and done, Melo has demonstrated to be a solid defender and passer when it matters; having turned the Nuggets into a legitimate title contender and after covering Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference Finals in 2008.

tj23 wrote:Damn I love Carmelo but Wade - a top 2 SG in the league and top 5 player according to most people:
In no order: Kobe, Wade, LeBron, and Durant are most people's top 4. Probably Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are 5 and 6.

Howard - the best center in the league

Garnett in his prime? I hate the dude but he was probably better than both Howard and Wade.

I agree, better than Gasol though, but not by a whole lot.

And Melo is a top 2 SF in the league, making your argument for Wade over him moot. I also don't understand your logic when you consider Dwight Howard to be better. He simply is the mirror image of Melo except instead of being the league best offensive player, his buck is earned on the defensive end. The same arguments can be utilized as to why Melo is an equal to both Durant and Garnett during his peak years.

Marv wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

Marv wrote:melo's got the capability of being a dominant inside player. but he doesn’t want to do it. he wants to dance around the outside and be a finesse skill guy.

it's a real bad picture to bring onto this team. especially at a max salary. you end up with a guy who thinks he has to earn his keep by being the go-to shooter, and he really does little else.

he showed a lot of his true colors inn the fight in the garden a few years back with the little ***** slap cheap-shot and then the back-pedaling the hell out of there as fast as he could.

i'd rather continue the development of wilson chandler as an all-around player and an increasingly valuable cog in a machine than a shoot-shoot-shoot "savior" who we'd be grossly overpaying and would totally throw our developing balance out of whack.

It's pretty difficult imagining Melo as a player who "dance(s) around the outside (as) a finesse skill guy," when he is a regular as one of the league leaders in paints scored in the paint and in free throw's attempted each and every season. You don't score in the paint, hanging around on the perimeter and you generally don't get to the line unless you're driving the basketball, making your assessment inaccurate. I'm not sure how you can reconcile Amar'e being a max player but not Melo, who is actually better.

As for the incident with Melo in the Garden a few years back, all that shows is that Melo would make for a poor show as a MMA (mixed-martial arts) fighter. You're welcome to your opinions of Melo as a person; I personally think he's a tool of a human being as well but the guy can play basketball and will improve this team. As much as Wilson Chandler has been impressive, I think it is fairly evident that the guy is a bench play and better suited for that role in the future.

I‘ve seen him be so effective inside. And I’ve seen him stay away from that so much and prefer to play like a guard - you don’t shoot 43 % if you're using your inside game. Look to danilo gallinari as another player who's shot a lot of free throws but also settles way too much from the outside and has a poor shooting percentage.
Melo would have been a great pick-up for the isiah thomas teams of a few years ago. Guy would have been welcome relief as a one-man scoring show because we had NOTHING on that team and needed some kind of boost from a dominant scorer. But that's not at all the case here now. Plus in the isiah $125 million team era, adding another max player wasn't a concern. Fiscal flexibility is a major concern now.

I don't mean to be rude but you're simply wrong. First off, Danilo only shoots about 5 free throws a game. In his two earlier seasons, he only got averaged 3 shots a game. In fact, Gallo has attempted more 3 pointers than he has free throws in his career, which is not a characteristic of any kind of franchise player. Most would consider Melo to be playing below par this season and he still averages about 8 free throws a game. When he is his normal self, that number hovers around 10 free throws a game. And I don't know where you got this nonsense about Melo being a poor free throw shooter but he has consistently hit 80% or better from the charity stripe the past 4 seasons and has matched that rate 7 of the 8 seasons he has been in the league. The league average is in the lower 70's.

Once again, you don't get to the line as frequently as Melo and you can not consistently be top 10 in points-scored-in-the-paint, if you hover on the perimeter as much as you imply he does. You continue to denounce Melo as simply a selfish scorer but have you stopped to notice that his teams have consistently been among the league's best after having been the league worst for decades before he arrived? Clearly the manner in which he scores helps his team and does not hurt it. There is a reason why he is a max salary player and you need not look any further than that explanation.

Melo2NYK wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

martin wrote:

Marv wrote:I‘ve seen him be so effective inside. And I’ve seen him stay away from that so much and prefer to play like a guard - you don’t shoot 43 % if you're using your inside game.

Marv, Im not the biggest Melo fan, but really, who does Denver have to space the floor that would allow Melo to use his inside game?

Billups sucks these days, Afflalo should donate his name to an insurance company or something. And then there is Nene and Sheldon freaking Williams. Those are the starters.

Defenses just need to pack it in.

Isnt Nene # 2or 3 in FG for the entire NBA%? Affalo is one of the league leaders in FG% from the 2G and shooting well over 40% from 3. Chauncey is not shooting it great this year but still very respectable from 3 and you need to space him for that because if the number he takes. So he has a lot of space there. The you have smith Lawson Harrington off the bench---thats a LOT of spacing martin one of the most in the league.

Actually looking at the stats Denver is number 1 in the entire NBA in 3pt FG % differential---with a top 5 post FG player--who can anyone argue about space there--in terms of stats they have the best spacing in the league.

Andris Biedrins has a career field-goal percentage of 60%. In fact, he led the league in FG% during the 2005-2006 season at 64%. I doubt anyone is foolish enough to think he is any kind of offensive threat. That statistic represent offensive efficiency, not offensive proficiency. At the end of the day, numbers like those are reflective of the offensive system and exploits of the team's franchise player than it is of the individual player. Case and point, Peja Stojackovic had people fooled he was a MVP candidate at one point. Remove him from the Sacramento Kings and the spacing Webber and Bibby provided, and he was hardly starting material (and this was before the back injuries factored into the equation).

Dude why are you comparing Nene to Biendrins--are you serious?

Melo2NYK wrote:

Panos wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks.

You're out of your mind. Kevin Garnett was a two way beast. Former MVP.
Dwayne Wade is a wrecking ball. Dwight Howard is the most dominant Center in the game today.
And well, I don't like Pau Gasol, but he plays both sides of the ball.

Kevin Garnett was an excellent defender but as a scorer, he left many wanting. Despite being a good offensive player, Garnett had difficulties scoring at will, especially in the 4th. At the end of the day, this game boils down into who can put the ball into the basket. This is why offensive players are paid exponentially more than defensive players. When you need a basket, especially in crunch time, Melo is one of the best at delivering in the league. Charles Barkley said it best when he referred to Melo as the "best flat-out scorer in the game." It is because of this particular skill that I put Melo in the realm of a Garnett, Wade and Howard because his skill is one only 4 players (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade) in the league currently boast. And when it is all said and done, Melo has demonstrated to be a solid defender and passer when it matters; having turned the Nuggets into a legitimate title contender and after covering Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference Finals in 2008.

excellent post, but kevin durant says HI......

tkf wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

Panos wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks.

You're out of your mind. Kevin Garnett was a two way beast. Former MVP.
Dwayne Wade is a wrecking ball. Dwight Howard is the most dominant Center in the game today.
And well, I don't like Pau Gasol, but he plays both sides of the ball.

Kevin Garnett was an excellent defender but as a scorer, he left many wanting. Despite being a good offensive player, Garnett had difficulties scoring at will, especially in the 4th. At the end of the day, this game boils down into who can put the ball into the basket. This is why offensive players are paid exponentially more than defensive players. When you need a basket, especially in crunch time, Melo is one of the best at delivering in the league. Charles Barkley said it best when he referred to Melo as the "best flat-out scorer in the game." It is because of this particular skill that I put Melo in the realm of a Garnett, Wade and Howard because his skill is one only 4 players (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade) in the league currently boast. And when it is all said and done, Melo has demonstrated to be a solid defender and passer when it matters; having turned the Nuggets into a legitimate title contender and after covering Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference Finals in 2008.

excellent post, but kevin durant says HI......

Last I saw of Durant, he was shooting 36% in a first round exit against the Lakers. He ain't hanging with the big boys just yet.

Melo2NYK wrote:

tkf wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

Panos wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks.

You're out of your mind. Kevin Garnett was a two way beast. Former MVP.
Dwayne Wade is a wrecking ball. Dwight Howard is the most dominant Center in the game today.
And well, I don't like Pau Gasol, but he plays both sides of the ball.

Kevin Garnett was an excellent defender but as a scorer, he left many wanting. Despite being a good offensive player, Garnett had difficulties scoring at will, especially in the 4th. At the end of the day, this game boils down into who can put the ball into the basket. This is why offensive players are paid exponentially more than defensive players. When you need a basket, especially in crunch time, Melo is one of the best at delivering in the league. Charles Barkley said it best when he referred to Melo as the "best flat-out scorer in the game." It is because of this particular skill that I put Melo in the realm of a Garnett, Wade and Howard because his skill is one only 4 players (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade) in the league currently boast. And when it is all said and done, Melo has demonstrated to be a solid defender and passer when it matters; having turned the Nuggets into a legitimate title contender and after covering Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference Finals in 2008.

excellent post, but kevin durant says HI......

Last I saw of Durant, he was shooting 36% in a first round exit against the Lakers. He ain't hanging with the big boys just yet.

Durant is shooting 42% from the field this year, 27% from 3 pt. range... but somehow Melo gets labelled as an overrated volume shooter around here & Durant is the next chosen one... i don't get this logic.

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks. I believe he is on par with Duncan at this best but falls short of both Kobe Bryant and Shaq's legacy. I think you forget that many of the players you claimed to be better than Melo were heads of first round fodder in the playoffs before a change of team/circumstance lead them to a championship.

P.S., I have never heard of this provision that would require the Nuggets to pay back the money the Knicks already paid on Curry's contract. Considering that the maximum amount of compensation that can be included in a deal is $3 million, I am not entirely sure how they'd be able to compensate the Knicks for the $5.1 million spent on Curry's deal. Do you have a link to the CBA specifically highlighting this?

Dude Melo is nasty and can get buckets with the best of em but you are on crack. KG at his peak was a beast on BOTH ends of the court. no one EVER EVER EVER wrote a scouting report that says "could be a great defender if he committed to it"

Put Melo up against any scorer we've seen. But KG? On par with Duncan at his best?

Melo isn't horrible on defense but you could never put him anywhere close to the level of D that KG and Duncan play individually and inspire in their teammates. I firmly believe if the best/highest paid player on your team commits to playing D every trip down the court, it has a huge effect.