SlimChin wrote:No one can deny that for one night, Melo carried this team and silenced all the critics—played solid D and shot the sh!t out of the ball. I am pretty confident that this kid can handle the pressure here in NY and i see good things in the future for this team.

Its the deal G its the deal.

Players like Carmelo drive sportswriters (who never played) and some fans, nuts. He makes it look too easy and plays with a smile. So did Magic, but Magic also had an intensity tha was on full blast during the playoffs. Magic has the rings to validate it.

There is a reason why the Knicks are better against teams that are over .500 as opposed to those who are not. That is a team thing. It is a riddle for coaches to solve. Whether that is totally on Carmelo, is up for debate. One thing is certain, he can raise his game to an occasion like few who have ever played. Can you do it all the time? Of course not. The only guys who have it like that are named Russell, Jordan, Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar.

The single most intriguing thing about Carmelo Anthony is his dedication to the theatre and his embrace of the spotlight. Few players have the tools and magnetic personality to handle New York on an elite level. Carmelo can do that.... and THAT is what people play to see.

"What is my motivation?"

The roar of the crowd?

Can you play 82 "Must Win" games?

D'Antoni: (smiling) "... hope he says it more often"

He is a very good defender if he tries. "If he tries"

One good game doesn't make up for his medicore, bitching, complaining and not getting back on defense during his Knick tenure. Last time he talked tough about a big game he came up and played terrible against Cleveland.

He was on fire tonight and took a ton of bad shots. He made them, he carried us, that's what he was brought in here to do.

But, he is an above average passer and a good defender. Those things can't be game optional.

The trade is what bothers everyone because it didn't need to be made. Had he gone to the Nets it wasn't a big deal. If he is engaged we don't need an elite PG, but rarely happens

fishmike wrote:

misterearl wrote:“He was so locked in,” said point guard Chauncey Billups, who contributed 17 points, six assists and no turnovers. “He was grabbing extra rebounds, extra effort plays, steals, blocked shots. You knew that he wanted to win this game. He was not going to let us lose this game. When you get him focused like that on both ends, you’re talking about maybe the best player in basketball.”

very frustrating that level of effort isnt the norm. Tell me again why this guy is a star and championship player? If he played like that in the losses I would have no worries or doubts the KNicks would fix their issues. Having to worry about Melo's effort on a nightly basis is a problem

effort?? what about the rest of the team? In this losing streak, you can't deny that he's been putting up good numbers aside from the pistons game. but because he's Melo, i understand your expectations—just like most knick fans. for me, the significance of this game is that you can see him adjusting—and that's where the glimmer of hope is.

orangeblobman wrote:Yea, the thing about players like this is that they pick and choose when to play hard. Winners always go hard or go home.

Melo is a prissy diva that sometimes gets the urge to ball. That's not good enough. Go hard like Kobe, otherwise you'll always be a bum.

yeah well he chose to play hard when this team needed a desperate win—i'll take that.

and please do not even compare Melo to Harrington as in your previous post...laughable.

orangeblobman wrote:He gets this urge to earn a paycheck every few games, and that's not good enough. You have to ball all the time, every game.

39pts against magic

36pts against bobcats

25pts against bucks

yup, you're right—lazy superstar.

i don't know what the heck you expect from this guy...

NYKBocker wrote:

SlimChin wrote:

orangeblobman wrote:He gets this urge to earn a paycheck every few games, and that's not good enough. You have to ball all the time, every game.

39pts against magic

36pts against bobcats

25pts against bucks

yup, you're right—lazy superstar.

i don't know what the heck you expect from this guy...

blob gets a little over the top but I think there are some merit to his rants. Points was never a problem with Melo. He is a superstar in that regards. To be a true superstar, ne needs to do other things and make other players around him better. That means rebouning, passing and playing balls out defense. Things Kobe and DWade does in a regular basis.

And from last night's game it's clear that Melo could do it regularly as well, if he chooses to. He shouldn't be expected to issue playoff-caliber performances for 82 games a season, but we are 8 games from the playoffs, so now would be a good time to keep the lantern burning. And obviously in the playoffs is all in every game.

fishmike wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

fishmike wrote:finally the coach said the right things that properly motivated him to play defense. Obviously the coach should get all the credit

Why not? He gets all the blame when they lose. Congrats to MDA for scoring 39 at SF

exactly. MDA doesnt provide Melo with the proper motivation then Melo just jacks his 30 and doesnt lift a hand on defense and collects his massive check like normal. Clearly MDA is turning the corner and getting this coaching thing down finally

Papabear Says

If he loose another game you would all want him fired. LOL. It's a game to game thing.

He's been doing this his whole career.