Hey let's get real!! the last time I saw something like Melo's performance was the performance of Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets.
During the 1986 World Serise Doc Gooden's performance had droped off. When confronted Doc said he was clean but then changed and he went into
rehab SOMETHING MORE THAN AN INJURY IS AFFECTING MELO!

All that is clear is that he quit on the team, coach and fan base for a handful of games.

He needs to get into better shape if he plans on being a factor on the hardwood.

TripleThreat wrote:

smackeddog wrote:If he takes a lot of shots he's accused of being selfish, if he takes a back seat in the offense he's accused of having a drug problem- the man can't win!

Can't speak for anyone else but me, I care less about "how Melo produces" compared to "how Melo plays the game the right way or not" I truly believe if Melo "played the game the right way", and given his vast talent, that the production side of it would naturally take care of itself.

I don't care if Melo shoots 40 shots a game. As long as he shows good shot selection ( which he doesn't) and does it within the context of the entire offense around him ( which he refuses to do) Ray Allen in the past used to put up a good number of shots a game. So did Chris Mullin for the Warriors. The DIFFERENCE was that Mullin and Allen knew when to shoot it up and when to defer to their team mates.

There's a difference between missing what is normally a high percentage shot and missing what is normally the fruits picked from the chucker tree. If you take high percentage shots, the product of team work and good shot selection, eventually the odds and numbers will fall in your favor. If you take bad shots, some games you will overcome the poor angles and decision making, but most games you will suffer because the odds are not in your favor.

I would have ZERO problem with Melo if he was unproductive if

1) He was in elite game shape
2) He played hard nosed defense all the time
3) He spent his career developing his game
4) He set the example on and off the floor regarding being the Alpha Dog player on the team.
5) He displayed a willingness to adapt to the team concept ( not shooting the ball as much as you used to is NOT THE ONLY FACET TO PLAYING TEAM BALL )

Clearly he's injured now, and being winged doesn't help. That being said, conditioning helps recovery from injury and helps prevention from injury. If Melo is injured, that's part of the game. If Melo is not in the best position possible due to that injury because of lack of conditioning, that's on him.

A lot of players hit his age and have to develop other parts of their game. Kobe learned more to use the low post, so did Jordan, now LeBron James. Chris Bosh has radically altered his game when it was clear the Heat simply had no resources or cap space to get a real center. You can even see Jarred Jeffries, who doesn't even have 1/10th the talent of a Melo, making in game adjustments when he's asked to play center.

I wouldn't call him Javier Vasquez 3.0 right now, but I would say as a team leader and a veteran player who has been in the league nearly a decade, it's disappointing that all the areas that Melo can CONTROL like conditioning, effort and how much he commits to defense are things he simply refuses to make improvements on. I can forgive a guy for not being taller. Or not being faster. Or not being more athletic. I can forgive a guy who goes all out and just can't hit that last second shot. I can't forgive a lack of effort. I can't forgive giving anything less than your absolute best every night. I can't forgive the lack of leadership, which is something anyone can achieve with desire and being willing to pay the cost to be an example.

If Melo tried consistently to be the very best player he could be, I could forgive him for being the player he is not.

I will NEVER forgive him for not trying to be the very best player he can be. Right now he's failing basic lessons that even CHILDREN in elementary school learn about sports and competition. How pathetic is that?

Great post. I'd add that I believe that he has all the needed tools to be one of the greatest, except the drive. Look at the greatest players, they're tireless workers and never take games off. This is clearly not the case with Melo, and that what infuriates me the most.

y2zipper wrote:His shot just isn't falling right now. It isn't something we need to overanalyze and they're could be lots of reasons for it. The Knicks are winning games during the current stretch and Melo's playing better defense.

Yea, it's not falling, but at this point it's a season-long slump.

I attribute it to a combination of two major factors: wrist injury and coming into season a sloppy ****.

nychamp wrote:

MarburyAnd1Crossover wrote:Yea, it's not falling, but at this point it's a season-long slump.

Which serves to further highlight how terrible a coach Pringles was for this team. Melo essentially slumping the whole year, but the team is winning now with Woodson and sucked under Pringles. Just like in all his previous years. Guy was a farce. Three plus years in Knickland flushed down the toilet.

You're really reaching...around Melo.

Silverfuel wrote:

eViL wrote:melo wouldn't be the first big name player to falter under the new york spotlight. some dudes just aren't cut out for this. ironically, amare actually was living up to being a big name new york star until the big trade went down.

Are you sure faltering is the right is word? That would mean he chokes, cannot handle the pressure etc. He dropped 40 points in a playoff game last season. He was doing really well until he got injured earlier this year.

Guy can falter in two different ways.

First, he can falter in one game, too much clutch pressure, he breaks like a pig in a blanket; Melo does not fold like this.

Second, he can falter after repeated loading of clutch pressure, so that he is worn down over time like the tooth of a bread knife.

VCoug wrote:Guys, this is getting ridiculous. He had elbow surgery before the season and hurt his thumb and his wrist on his shooting hand, that's what's wrong with him. It's why the only facet of his game that's really been affected is his shooting. His rebounding is down only about .5 rpg, his assists are up, steals and blocks are right in line with his career numbers, turnovers are down, and he's probably playing the best, most consistent defense of his career. It's not drugs, not laziness, not anything else, it's his injuries. Once he gets a chance to rest in the offseason he'll be fine.

Fair, but laziness is always there with him, this is a constant. We have established this.