MarburyAnd1Crossover wrote:

Gymkata wrote:It really is just Gallo who is the only one I think is a loss. I never thought Wil would have been re-signed, Mozgov is an okay rotational big (not nearly the caliber of Chandler) and Felton has imploded. Or, rather, exploded.

You know what sucks? You replace Melo with Gallo on this team and we're 50 times better. We slay the Heat last night.

Real Talk.

Horrible post. You're better than that.

fishmike wrote:The only thing more annoying then the MDA hate on this board has been the Melo hate in the press. Its stupid and idiotic. Lin with 4 assists to Melo last night. Lets be real, with Amare looking more and more like LJ every day this team is built around Lin/Melo/Chandler and thats looking pretty high ceiling to me.

Melo from MDA

“He came up to me and said, ‘Look, just be you,’ ” Anthony said last night. “He just said, ‘Be you. Go out there and play your game.’ I respected that coming from him.”

Why? Because Mr "me first" is trying to hard to fit in. Did anyone else feel like so many of Melo's points came when the Hawks were creeping back in?

Also if anyone DVRd that game last night go back and watch Melo defend. Coming off a groin injury his effort on defense was top flight, as it has been most of the year.

From Lin:

Anthony has “has taken me under his wing.” The point guard phenom added of his star forward, “I think he definitely had a little rust last game. This game he really didn’t seem to have that.”

Melo was asked to do too much earlier this year, but he's been a great pro, has continued to be commited to defense and shares the ball as well. He's done and is doing everything his critics have said (including me) he doesnt.

+1 I definitely like Melo as a player and a teammate, and I know that he will figure it out if he puts in the effort.

misterearl wrote:You know what you should do sometime?

You should have a look at the signature game in franchise history. The Willis Reed Game, May 8, 1970, the night when all the good the Knicks stood for was realized in a 113-99 thrashing of the Lakers. You know what you will see when you run that video?

On the Knicks’ first possession, Reed gets the ball at the top of the key with 19 seconds left on the shot clock. He doesn’t hand the ball to Clyde Frazier, standing behind him. He doesn’t feed Bill Bradley in the corner or Dick Barnett on the wing. He shoots the ball. And makes a basket.

And while the audio is admittedly fuzzy, you can’t hear even one fan yell “BALL-STOPPER!” above the din.

- Mike Vaccaro, NYPost

I love Melo, but somehow, comparing him to Reed in any way amounts to some sort of blasphemy at this point in Melo's young Knickness. How bout we get out of a playoff round first, okay Mr. Mike Vacuous?

I'm just saying, come up with a better comparison son. The black hole that was Oak early in his tenure. Young Patrick and his stupid picks 45 feet from the rim and the resultant bad shot attempts. Anything but the Holy of Holies.

4. Is Carmelo ready to be Paul Pierce? We keep coming back to the argument made by SI's Ian Thomson: If Carmelo can figure out his place in this offense, and step up his defensive intensity, he can shift into the next phase of his career, becoming an all-around player (and potential champion) rather than just an isolation gunner. (Like Paul Pierce did in Boston.)

Carmelo is 28 years old now, and if he's going to become the legend he has always thought himself to be, he needs to start taking over games and leading his team to the next level. Only once in Carmelo's career has his team made it out of the first round of the playoffs. If he's going to be an all-timer, that needs to end immediately. He's the most talented Knick by a large measure, but if this team can't put something together this year, he'll be the one who takes the blame.

- Will Leitch, NYMag

nixluva wrote:I feel for Melo a little. Lin is the rising star, but no one really feels that the onus is on Lin to carry the team to a title. That weight falls on Melo. They pull Melo is different directions, cuz it's "Don't Mess up what we've got with Linsnity", "Don't hog the ball", "Don't try to be the big man" and at the same time "Why didn't he take over and help his team get the win in Miami?".

I really have faith in MDA and the coaching staff to coach this team up and get them flowing together offensively. This is what they do!!! It would be one thing if we were asking this staff to try and do something they aren't proficient at, but offensive ideas and implementation is the strength of this team. They just need these upcoming practices to work it out and get them going. I really am anxious to see this team gel and come together over the last 31 games. If they can do that this is gonna be one heck of a ride!

Nix, I agree with you and also feel for Melo.

So, if you have faith in MDA/Staff to get them (Melo and team) playing together, if it fails, do you then place at least some (significant) blame on the staff?

If not, then do you really have faith?