A few things have been showing up in recent games:
1. Melo's shooting is troublesome. This season so far has been Jekyll and Hyde from Carmelo. Some strong nights along with horrible nights like many he has had in recent games. That can't happen, but I'm not sure if it's all Anthony's or Hornaceck's fault. Melo should be trying to penetrate more and getting into more catch-and-shoot situations than just forcing bad shots. His shooting has been dreadful and we have proved to be talented enough to compete even during those nights, but this team can't win the way they want with Melo playing so bad.
2. Something needs to be done with the third point guard position. Hornaceck's system has proven to be dependent on good PG play, especially from penetrating guards. That is why Rose has become such an invaluable player to the point that we are a whole different team without him. We thought Jennings would be like a starting PG off the bench and that he would keep things flowing whenever Rose had to take time off, but that hasn't been exactly the case. Is Ron the answer? Vujacic certainly isn't, which makes you wonder if we need to make a move for a 3rd PG capable of strong play off the bench. I thought that was the plan with Chasson Randle, but he seems to have dropped his play since coming back. We still need to do something.
3. You know a player has become a liability when even the least amount of good play is used to justify him. Truth is, Noah has been the biggest disappointment so far this season. He was never supposed to be a dominant offensive player, but he was intended to strengthen our defense, clean up every rebound and score a decent amount of points from putbacks and offensive rebounds. That has yet to become the norm. Instead, everything about his game has been inconsistent, to put it nicely. Meanwhile, KOQ has become a force on both ends of the court and some have called for him to be the starter. Would that really make things better in the long run? Could be worth a try.
4. Defense is actually the biggest issue of any team that hopes to be more than a middle-of-the-pack squad. We have been winning games because our offense has shined and our defense has improved in segments of the games, but this team still can't stop the opposition whenever they need to in order to win. Offense in the NBA has gone up, but contenders still find ways to stop teams and consistently win. We need to improve our defense. Our team has been fouling too much and irresponsibly. So many 3pt plays, so many dumb fouls. That has to improve.
Overall, we seem to be in a better position than most expected. Our offense has clicked because it seems that the coach has been able to implement his offense instead of imposing the triangle. Porzingis has made a great leap in his development. He still has a long ways to go, which makes his great improvement even more exciting. KOQ has been a pleasant surprise. Rose has become more indispensable to this team than Carmelo, which speaks volumes about how great his play has been and how Hornaceck has really set his style in motion. The team is deep to the point that the coach plays different guys every night and gets strong basketball from them. This is a strong team that with good health and an improved defense can become a nightmare for opponents.
