martin wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

martin wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

martin wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

GodSaveTheKnicks 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. 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.

I already addressed this in an earlier post. Duncan>Melo. KG=Melo. KG could shoot lightening bolts out of his ass but at the end of the day, being able to carry your team offensively in times of desperation is what makes you elite. KG regularly faded/disappeared in the 4th while Melo has consistently rose to the occassion. In fact, there are only 4 other guys in the league that can take over the 4th quarter like Melo can (Kobe, LeBron, Wade and Pierce). That is what puts Melo's legacy on par with KG and that is what makes him a top 5 talent, despite not being the backbone of a team defensively. With that being said, the guy can play pretty damn good defensive when it matters most. He made Kobe's life hell in that 2008 Conference Finals; more than I've seen any player do in a long-time. I'm sure he can duplicate the performance when the situation calls for it in the playoffs.

with statements like that you lose all credibility, especially because you make nada mention about the defensive side of the ball.

I touched on it when I said "KG could shoot lightening bolts out of his ass but at the end of the day, being able to carry your team offensively in times of desperation is what makes you elite (defines you as a franchise player)." Defense is great but in the playoffs, everyone has developed a strategy to curtail your offense. More importantly, you get 7 games to improve that strategy and fine-tune your defense. This is why franchise players are so valued because those are the guy's who carry you in the playoffs when teams are shutting everything else down. KG could be stopped in the 4th. Melo is a different story. At the same time, I can't ignore the other side of the ball, which is why I consider them to be equal's whereas Duncan is the superior player to the two.

relatively speaking Melo is a siv compared to TD and KG.

Defense is a must in Playoffs and Melo hasn't sniffed that.

And yet neither Steve Nash nor Dirk Nowitzki were defensive juggernaut's and they got the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks deep into the playoffs on multiple occassions as leaders of their team. As a matter of fact, the two of them have 3 MVP's in total and neither approach Melo's defensive capabilities.

all fine and good, but who cares. We are talking Melo v KG

You do apparently: "Defense is a must in Playoffs and Melo hasn't sniffed that." The point is that your best player doesn't need to be a defensive juggernaut to go deep in the playoffs/considered among the elite. And yet for all KG's defensive abilities, his teams in Minnesota never really did much of anything. Again Melo=KG at his peak.

Melo2NYK wrote:

fishmike wrote:saying KG = Melo is ludicris. KG is a very good scorer. Melo is better. But KG was the best rebounder in the NBA and a first team NBA defender. Melo is a non impact player in both categories.

Boston didnt win a title because of KG's scoring. They won because he anchored the best defense in the playoffs.

I get Melo is your guy but your overrating his impact on a team. Bigtime

Carmelo Anthony is one of the primer rebounders in the league at the 3 spot. Exactly where did you get this nonsense about Melo being a "non-impact player" in this regard? On another note, you did not actually engage my last post and the logic behind it. You simply stated your opinion about the two players. I guess what I'm trying to say is, show me how I am wrong as opposed to simply saying I'm wrong.

You posted elite players and championships. Show me the team built around a scorer. There isnt one. They are built on SIZE and DEFENSE and REBOUNDING.

Lakers (huge team) won when Perkins got hurt.

YEAR CHAMPION OPPONENT RESULT MVP  
2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics 4-3 Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles 
2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers Orlando Magic 4-1 Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles 
2007-08 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 Paul Pierce, Boston 
2006-07 San Antonio Spurs Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 Tony Parker, San Antonio 
2005-06 Miami Heat Dallas Mavericks 4-2 Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat 
2004-05 San Antonio Spurs Detroit Pistons 4-3 Tim Duncan, San Antonio 
2003-04 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons 
2002-03 San Antonio Spurs New Jersey Nets 4-2 Tim Duncan, San Antonio 
2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers New Jersey Nets 4-0 Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles 
2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles 
1999-00 Los Angeles Lakers Indiana Pacers 4-2 Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles 
1998-99 San Antonio Spurs New York Knicks 4-1 Tim Duncan, San Antonio 
1997-98 Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1996-97 Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1995-96 Chicago Bulls Seattle SuperSonics 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1994-95 Houston Rockets Orlando Magic 4-0 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 
1993-94 Houston Rockets New York Knicks 4-3 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 
1992-93 Chicago Bulls Phoenix Suns 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1991-92 Chicago Bulls Portland Trail Blazers 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1990-91 Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1989-90 Detroit Pistons Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 Isiah Thomas, Detroit 
1988-89 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 Joe Dumars, Detroit 

There is nothing extrodinary about getting 6 rebounds a game for a SF. Jason Kidd's a better rebounder!

I'm sorry but defense matters and counts, in the playoffs often more than scoring

Melo's game can be disrupted by role players with a 1/10 of the talent like the Bruce Bowens of the world.

Melo2NYK wrote:

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.

was referring to gallo's play this year, particularly his streak when he was going to the stripe like crazy - 11 fta per game over an 8 game span.

didn’t say anything about melo's free throw shooting.

fishmike wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

fishmike wrote:saying KG = Melo is ludicris. KG is a very good scorer. Melo is better. But KG was the best rebounder in the NBA and a first team NBA defender. Melo is a non impact player in both categories.

Boston didnt win a title because of KG's scoring. They won because he anchored the best defense in the playoffs.

I get Melo is your guy but your overrating his impact on a team. Bigtime

Carmelo Anthony is one of the primer rebounders in the league at the 3 spot. Exactly where did you get this nonsense about Melo being a "non-impact player" in this regard? On another note, you did not actually engage my last post and the logic behind it. You simply stated your opinion about the two players. I guess what I'm trying to say is, show me how I am wrong as opposed to simply saying I'm wrong.

ok I will elaborate. Being a good rebounder at the 3 isnt impressive. He's not a dominant player there. Your note winning more games because of Melo's ability to clean the glass. You ARE winning more games because of KG's ability to win the glass. Your not winning more games because of Melo's ability to lock down a great scorer. You ARE winning more games because of KG's ability to defend the POST, where more games are won/los then in any other way.

You posted elite players and championships. Show me the team built around a scorer. There isnt one. They are built on SIZE and DEFENSE and REBOUNDING.

Lakers (huge team) won when Perkins got hurt.

YEAR CHAMPION OPPONENT RESULT MVP  
2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics 4-3 Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles 
2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers Orlando Magic 4-1 Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles 
2007-08 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 Paul Pierce, Boston 
2006-07 San Antonio Spurs Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 Tony Parker, San Antonio 
2005-06 Miami Heat Dallas Mavericks 4-2 Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat 
2004-05 San Antonio Spurs Detroit Pistons 4-3 Tim Duncan, San Antonio 
2003-04 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons 
2002-03 San Antonio Spurs New Jersey Nets 4-2 Tim Duncan, San Antonio 
2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers New Jersey Nets 4-0 Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles 
2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles 
1999-00 Los Angeles Lakers Indiana Pacers 4-2 Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles 
1998-99 San Antonio Spurs New York Knicks 4-1 Tim Duncan, San Antonio 
1997-98 Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1996-97 Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1995-96 Chicago Bulls Seattle SuperSonics 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1994-95 Houston Rockets Orlando Magic 4-0 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 
1993-94 Houston Rockets New York Knicks 4-3 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 
1992-93 Chicago Bulls Phoenix Suns 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1991-92 Chicago Bulls Portland Trail Blazers 4-2 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1990-91 Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Michael Jordan, Chicago 
1989-90 Detroit Pistons Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 Isiah Thomas, Detroit 
1988-89 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 Joe Dumars, Detroit 

there's 20+ years dude... Everyone one of those teams were ELITE defensive teams. How much more proof do you need?

There is nothing extrodinary about getting 6 rebounds a game for a SF. Jason Kidd's a better rebounder!

I'm sorry but defense matters and counts, in the playoffs often more than scoring

Melo's game can be disrupted by role players with a 1/10 of the talent like the Bruce Bowens of the world.

Funny that you list all these ways KG wins you games....and yet the guy was first round fodder every year before heading to the Celtics.

And I don't understand how you could suggest that championship teams ae not built around a scorer and then go ahead to list Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade, Tony Parker, and Paul Pierce as Finals MVP. When did those guys become the Jared Jefferies of offense? Not sure if you noticed the trend but those guys were all back-court players as well. Some had size on their team but they clearly were the engine of the teams success, hence the MVP award. As a matter of fact, I challenge you to find me a team built around "the Bruce Bowens of the world" that even made the playoffs, lol. Stop with the useless cliches like "defense wins championships." George Gervin said it best when he said "good offense beats good defense everytime." That's why teams heap ten's of millions of dollars on franchise players. Because in the playoffs, you need their offensive play to carry your team during tough stretches especially in the 4th. As a unit, you need an appropriate balance between the two but it is not a necessity for your franchise player to dominate defensively.

P.S., the Celtics losing to the Lakers because of Perkins argument is complete and utter nonsense. No one seemed to recall that Bynum (and Ariza) missed the 2008 Finals matchup between the two and that Bynum was severly limited in their 2010 Finals matchup due to injury.

And BTW, Carmelo Anthony has been averaging upwards of 7rpg the past few season's. There are PF's that couldn't do that from the perimeter.

Marv wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

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.

was referring to gallo's play this year, particularly his streak when he was going to the stripe like crazy - 11 fta per game over an 8 game span.

didn’t say anything about melo's free throw shooting.

So you don't think the logic behind comparing 8 games to a body of work spanning 7 full seasons and 20 games is a bit flawed?

GodSaveTheKnicks wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:

GodSaveTheKnicks wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:And yet word around the grapevine is that his eye's are solely set on the Knicks. December 15th or not, the Nuggets did not seem to have any problem orchestrating a 4 team trade in the offseason that would have sent Melo elsewhere. You'd think eligible teams would have offered a flurry of proposals ahead of that December 15th deadline by now. Yet they haven't....

- According to the Grapevine Bosh and Lebron were supposed to be Knicks

- Eligible teams can make all the proposals they like. Denver has to accept the offer. No rush into sending the team into free fall. What does it matter to Denver if they trade Carmel today or in February? Denver gets to have fans showing up for games.

- Denver can trade Melo to any team they want to. Melo has to agree to extend though so the deal is dead. Melo wanting to be in NY = not exactly fact but more substantial than any Lebron/Bosh want to be in NY rumours.

How does Melo "maybe" not wanting to play for the Nets lead you to he wants to play for NY Knicks?

Ok fine...the Melo to NY rumours could be exactly like the Lebron to NY rumours.

Maybe if the NJ deal gets revived and the nets are willing to include Lopez, the Knicks need to step up with a godfather offer.

Chicago is probably not going to part with Noah. Taj Gibson cut it vs. what the Knicks can offer.

Main points:

- Why pull an Isiah and offer a super awesome trade package when for now..it appears there are no other teams with offers on the table for Melo that Denver is considering.

- Melo is totally in the drivers seat here. Not the Knicks. Not the Nuggets. He can basically decide where he wants to go, no?

After the Pau Gasol trade I cant discount the possibility of Denver giving Melo for a picks and a salary dump.

Something like Melo and Harrington for Vince Carter(Expiring), Gortat, Orton, and picks isn't impossible.

Remember when Melo leaves that are in rebuild mode. Nene and Billups are as good as gone anyway.

martin wrote:

TMS wrote:

martin wrote:relatively speaking Melo is a siv compared to TD and KG.

Defense is a must in Playoffs and Melo hasn't sniffed that.

you're absolutely right that Melo doesn't compare defensively to TD & KG, but does that necessarily mean he's not a franchise player worth targetting?... would u pass on Dirk Nowitzki because his defense sucks? before Amare got here he wasn't exactly known for his defense either.

very much apples and oranges. If Knicks had a carry-the-team SF and needed a 4 (and didn't have a 3 guys who already cover that position), I would go for Dirk.

But that's not really the scenario. Knicks have one of the best offenses in the league so far this season, could change when they play better teams. SF is not a position of weakness or need.

so ur telling me if the roles were reversed & the Knicks had a carry-the-team SF & already had 3 PF's on the team, you wouldn't want to go for Dirk? i find that very hard to believe.

but regardless if that's how u feel, i have to say i disagree... i think anytime u can upgrade the talent on your team, it's worth pursuing... u add Melo to this team & it prevents other teams from doubling down on Amare with such regularity... it gives MDA mismatches to exploit almost every game they play... it gives this team another big weapon to use in postseason play... i think adding another star is key if we ever want to take the jump from being an also ran to becoming a legitimate championship contender in this NBA.

TMS wrote:

martin wrote:

TMS wrote:

martin wrote:relatively speaking Melo is a siv compared to TD and KG.

Defense is a must in Playoffs and Melo hasn't sniffed that.

you're absolutely right that Melo doesn't compare defensively to TD & KG, but does that necessarily mean he's not a franchise player worth targetting?... would u pass on Dirk Nowitzki because his defense sucks? before Amare got here he wasn't exactly known for his defense either.

very much apples and oranges. If Knicks had a carry-the-team SF and needed a 4 (and didn't have a 3 guys who already cover that position), I would go for Dirk.

But that's not really the scenario. Knicks have one of the best offenses in the league so far this season, could change when they play better teams. SF is not a position of weakness or need.

so ur telling me if the roles were reversed & the Knicks had a carry-the-team SF & already had 3 PF's on the team, you wouldn't want to go for Dirk? i find that very hard to believe.

but regardless if that's how u feel, i have to say i disagree... i think anytime u can upgrade the talent on your team, it's worth pursuing

That in a nutshell is the whole point of ALL the Melo conversation. One side says because he's much more talented the Knicks would be dumb not to get him. The other side says he's not the right fit.

TMS, Melo2Knicks, VMart, et all

Riddle me this:
I posted earlier that Brook Lopez was good, but there are probably 12 other players starting at center who are simply better. I'm making an assumption thats we ALL AGREE Melo is VASTLY superior play skill/talent/impact/everything than Brook Lopez.

Which trade makes the Knicks better:
Lopez for Turiaf, Mosgov, AR (everyone who can and has played center)
OR
Melo for Gallo

Sound off

Melo2NYK wrote:

Marv wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

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.

was referring to gallo's play this year, particularly his streak when he was going to the stripe like crazy - 11 fta per game over an 8 game span.

didn’t say anything about melo's free throw shooting.

So you don't think the logic behind comparing 8 games to a body of work spanning 7 full seasons and 20 games is a bit flawed?

hey i appreciate you want to take on all comers and you like to dig into minutiae, but . . . .

the point for me is this - we have a lot of cheap assets at sf: chandler, williams, gallinari, fields. these guys are all playing well, their games are all growing and they all play other positions as well. there is no way i'm spending all that money - MAX LONG-TERM CONTRACT - for a sf like melo who's not a superstar, doesn’t lead a team in the playoffs (save 1 out of 7 years) and is known as an offensive player with less than efficient scoring.