Interesting. I'd say they are probably right. Although I would count players who are effective on both ends of the floor.
Ie: Your Carmelo Anthony example. Great scorer, average/below average defender, wants the ball in his hands late game.
But, psychological toughness has to come in to it somehow as well. I'd much rather Durant than Carmelo. Carmelo is the guy that helps up opposing players off the floor and laughs and shakes hands. Similar to Dwight Howard, great talents so much potential- but they seem to want the spot light more than a championship as their validation that they've made it.
Jordan wouldn't do that. Kobe won't do that. Wade won't do that. Lebron will sometimes do that, in a certain frame of mind, he becomes one of the 'killers' that I've just mentioned.
A lot of these guys are competitive, but don't always have the heart needed to carry a team all the way. I think it's important because to me, it's what makes a team its most 'competitive'.
When I think of the Pistons, Lakers, Celtics, Spurs-
The great teams of the past 10-15 years, they don't really have a single weak spot when it comes to guys who are mentally tough and want that ring more than anything else, and their defenses are simply nasty. I can't ever picture Carmelo and Stoudemire getting the nastiness to compete on the same level as the above mentioned teams of the Wallaces, Billups, Duncan, Kobe/Shaq/Horry, KG/Perk/Rondo. etc.
Who nowadays can match Wallace and Wallace or KG and Perkins?
I think even Chris Bosh is starting to display more heart than Melo and probably Amare. Wade and Joel Anthony have slowly changed Lebron and Bosh from being the the kind of guys that help a player from the other team up from the floor, into more ruthless, win at all costs types of players. Tyson Chandler needs to do the same in NYC and quickly.
I guess this is why Perkins was such a great addition to the Thunder. They really are a little meaner and nastier as a whole. Perk has made Durant, Westbrook and Harden play with an imaginary chip on their shoulder and it's contagious as anything. It's one of the single most important elements to developing a 'competitive core'.