TripleThreat wrote:GustavBahler wrote:Lately his offense hasn't been there but the rest of his game has been solid for the most part. Melo is sharing the rock, playing D and playing hard. If you're going to point out what he is doing wrong there is no reason why you can't point out what he's doing right.
I think that's a very fair point. Melo is trying harder on D the last three games and is obviously working much harder than he has in previous games to bring energy and urgency to his game and consider the other players around him. No doubt in my mind, with a focused and driven Melo, this team can go far. That's a fair point.
Now it's your turn to flip it around on the other side, for the sake of fairness. Where was this effort before? Because I think that's just as important for the Knick's fighting for a playoff spot.
It shouldn't take a new coach to get the ALPHA DOG TEAM LEADER to put in effort on the floor. That's poor leadership. And it's f**king disrespectful to the many hard working loyal Knicks fans out there. I'm talking about a fandom where entire families are fans and the fandom has existed for many across generations of their line. The Knicks are one of the most storied NBA franchises in the league and it's fans are some of the most hardcore and passionate out there. There is NO EXCUSE for a team leader and the clear cut Alpha Dog player to give anything less than 150 percent on the floor all the time and to set the right kind of example for team morale, team unity and team responsibility.
I dare anyone, anyone, anyone here, to say Melo being a lackadaisical disinterested careless defender so long, when his team needed him to step up his defense and defensive effort and leadership skills, is justified in any possible way. If Melo and his diehard homers want to call everyone else haters, let them, but it's not a tough concept - You want to be the man, you want to wear the crown and be the guy in charge and get all the glory and the lifestyle, then you have to step as well for all the crappy unpleasant things about being a leader. Melo wanted to come to New York, he forced his way to New York, he would play for no other team than New York, and guess what, on a bigger stage than Denver, the expectations go up. That's the price of being the guy who is supposed to be the leader on your New York team.
I can understand a lack of skill. I can understand when a player simply cannot do certain things physically or athletically. I cannot understand a lack of effort. There is no defense for that.
Why is a 23 year old undrafted kid the one to praise his team mates and build up their morale and try to shield them from criticism and take losses on his own back and tries to support his coaches and trainers and actively works to be an excellent role model for fans? That's LEADERSHIP RIGHT THERE. If someone wants to ask what my problem with Melo, part of it is that. That's his responsibility. He should be the one standing in front of the press deflecting criticism away from his team mates and onto himself. He should be the one to say the buck stops with him for accountability and there are no excuses to lose. He should be the one setting the work ethic example on the court. He should be the one looking to show unity in public the press and fans no matter what is going on behind closed doors.
And that's what makes it so pathetic to me. Lin is basically in his first year and he already gets what it takes to act like a leader and take all the unpleasant crap that comes with magazine covers and solo press conferences. Melo has been in the league for nearly a decade and when is his selfish ass going to get it?
No offense, and this is just me, I just feel really sorry for some of you. To ask so very little of your supposed team leader. To applaud any display of basic effort as if that should even be negotiable in the first place. I love the Knicks, I just don't love the piss poor leadership of the Melo brand. He might wear the jersey, but he's not cut from New York cloth.
TripleThreat...right on. It befuddles me how people don't see this.
