If not Melo, then who?

[D.o.s.]

You think Kobe makes his teammates better, but Carmelo Anthony doesn't?

I don't buy that. I think the fact that Kobe's won his rings surrounded by elite big men is feeding into this narrative, and that's something beyond either players control.

[kozlodoev]

You think Kobe makes his teammates better, but Carmelo Anthony doesn't?

I don't buy that. I think the fact that Kobe's won his rings surrounded by elite big men is feeding into this narrative, and that's something beyond either players control.

Former DPOY and NBA champion Tyson Chandler not good enough for Melo?

[D.o.s.]

You think Kobe makes his teammates better, but Carmelo Anthony doesn't?

I don't buy that. I think the fact that Kobe's won his rings surrounded by elite big men is feeding into this narrative, and that's something beyond either players control.

Former DPOY and NBA champion Tyson Chandler not good enough for Melo?

I don't think Chandler holds a candle to Shaq or Odom/Bynum/Gasol.

Although that's really beside the point. If he had five rings I don't know if we'd be hearing that 'Melo doesn't make his teammates better but Kobe does.

[GreenWarrior]

You think Kobe makes his teammates better, but Carmelo Anthony doesn't?

I don't buy that. I think the fact that Kobe's won his rings surrounded by elite big men is feeding into this narrative, and that's something beyond either players control.

there's no doubt about it. but i'm not going to ignore the fact that kobe hasn't been that way his whole career. phil Jackson had a lot to do with bringing it out of kobe.

[D.o.s.]

You think Kobe makes his teammates better, but Carmelo Anthony doesn't?

I don't buy that. I think the fact that Kobe's won his rings surrounded by elite big men is feeding into this narrative, and that's something beyond either players control.

there's no doubt about it. but i'm not going to ignore the fact that kobe hasn't been that way his whole career. phil Jackson had a lot to do with bringing it out of kobe.

I don't know about that. I think that good coaching comes second to good teammates.

Remember, Phil Jackson was the head coach for the Lakers from 2005-2007, when Kobe was freezing out teammates and  getting bounced in the playoffs until the front office landed Gasol for spare parts.

[GreenWarrior]

You think Kobe makes his teammates better, but Carmelo Anthony doesn't?

I don't buy that. I think the fact that Kobe's won his rings surrounded by elite big men is feeding into this narrative, and that's something beyond either players control.

there's no doubt about it. but i'm not going to ignore the fact that kobe hasn't been that way his whole career. phil Jackson had a lot to do with bringing it out of kobe.

I don't know about that. I think that good coaching comes second to good teammates.

Remember, Phil Jackson was the head coach for the Lakers from 2005-2007, when Kobe was freezing out teammates and  getting bounced in the playoffs until the front office landed Gasol for spare parts.

I was talking more so about the shaq/kobe/phil era. that's really when kobe gave the lakers the player they needed.

[kozlodoev]

You think Kobe makes his teammates better, but Carmelo Anthony doesn't?

I don't buy that. I think the fact that Kobe's won his rings surrounded by elite big men is feeding into this narrative, and that's something beyond either players control.

Former DPOY and NBA champion Tyson Chandler not good enough for Melo?

I don't think Chandler holds a candle to Shaq or Odom/Bynum/Gasol.

Although that's really beside the point. If he had five rings I don't know if we'd be hearing that 'Melo doesn't make his teammates better but Kobe does.

Yeah, but he doesn't have five rings. And sure part of this is not having Shaq or Gasol -- but part is Melo being Melo.

[D.o.s.]

You think Kobe makes his teammates better, but Carmelo Anthony doesn't?

I don't buy that. I think the fact that Kobe's won his rings surrounded by elite big men is feeding into this narrative, and that's something beyond either players control.

Former DPOY and NBA champion Tyson Chandler not good enough for Melo?

I don't think Chandler holds a candle to Shaq or Odom/Bynum/Gasol.

Although that's really beside the point. If he had five rings I don't know if we'd be hearing that 'Melo doesn't make his teammates better but Kobe does.

Yeah, but he doesn't have five rings. And sure part of this is not having Shaq or Gasol -- but part is Melo being Melo.

I think many of the wing scorers from the last decade or so are fairly easily switched out for one another, so to me the distance between Kobe and 'Melo, (or Kobe and T-Mac or whoever), rests largely on his luck with stellar teammates. We have evidence of prime Kobe being the best player on his teams, and those teams either missed the playoffs or got bounced in the first round.

[ManUp]

You see what Brads doing with this roster imagine if he had Melo at his expense and a legit big? Look out

Melo would do as he pleased and would be sitting on the bench because Stevens is a team ball guy not a let the volume scorer lose kind of guy.

Melo is the pyrite of the NBA.

Melo hasn't had a quality team assembled around him other than the Knicks last season- and they had Felton and Shumpert starting for them with a mix of Kidd, Prigioni and Chris Copeland starting. Other than Chandler and Kidd, the rest of his team mates really haven't been stellar, and Chandler is not an offensive player.

I think what advocates for Melo are saying is that we need a guy who can score the ball because our best player is not a scorer which is a huge problem.
Melo is the leading scorer in the NBA-or is always competing with Durant for that title. That's an incredible talent- but it also puts an incredible amount of pressure on you come playoff time when you don't have any help.
They almost got the trio of Amare, Chandler and Carmelo but Amare got injured 50 games in with Melo and they were still working it out as a unit.

Essentially for Melo to succeed, I believe you'd have to put him at the power forward position for large portions to exploit his speed and size.
People love to call him a chucker and a hack that doesn't pass but he's had a depreciating Billups and Allen Iverson (even bigger ball hog) on his team as his help. They were both when he was much younger too. Remember Pierce when he was 27?

Give him some real All Star help in Rondo and another wing scorer like Jeff Green to take the pressure off and let him play. If we want a title shot before Rondo hits free agency there isn't too much choice.

I've sprouted this so many times, but this line up is a serious contender:

Rondo
Bradley
Green
Melo
Chandler (or Asik)

You either have Sully at the 4 or Melo at the 4 so Sully can be moved for a better shooting guard than Bradley, or a nice first round pick.
Or you keep Sully at the 4 and Melo at the 3 and let Melo play 4 against certain teams/matchups.

I think Melo at the 4 will promote bad defense. The same way Jeff Green at the 4 does. Last years Knicks team was a gimmick team doomed to fail. Their success was based on their ability to play great D(thank Chandler) and bomb opponents with 3s. There wasn't anything all that special about that team and playing Carmelo at the 4 wasn't the key to their success. Melo had more legit success in Denver playing the 3 for years.

I think if you pair Melo with ROndo and give him a defined roll Scorer/rebounder/defender you will have success. He's not like Kobe, Lebron, or even Wade in terms of play-making. Giving Melo the ball and telling him to make things happen is putting him in a tough position. That's when he isolates and you pretty much know he's shooting it after a few jab steps or some other predictable Melo move. He's at his best when he can catch and make his move with the occasional isolation when he's feeling it. Rondo could be the guy that gets Melo the ball in his spots and puts an end to Melo's ball stopping ways.

[D.o.s.]

You see what Brads doing with this roster imagine if he had Melo at his expense and a legit big? Look out

Melo would do as he pleased and would be sitting on the bench because Stevens is a team ball guy not a let the volume scorer lose kind of guy.

Melo is the pyrite of the NBA.

Melo hasn't had a quality team assembled around him other than the Knicks last season- and they had Felton and Shumpert starting for them with a mix of Kidd, Prigioni and Chris Copeland starting. Other than Chandler and Kidd, the rest of his team mates really haven't been stellar, and Chandler is not an offensive player.

I think what advocates for Melo are saying is that we need a guy who can score the ball because our best player is not a scorer which is a huge problem.
Melo is the leading scorer in the NBA-or is always competing with Durant for that title. That's an incredible talent- but it also puts an incredible amount of pressure on you come playoff time when you don't have any help.
They almost got the trio of Amare, Chandler and Carmelo but Amare got injured 50 games in with Melo and they were still working it out as a unit.

Essentially for Melo to succeed, I believe you'd have to put him at the power forward position for large portions to exploit his speed and size.
People love to call him a chucker and a hack that doesn't pass but he's had a depreciating Billups and Allen Iverson (even bigger ball hog) on his team as his help. They were both when he was much younger too. Remember Pierce when he was 27?

Give him some real All Star help in Rondo and another wing scorer like Jeff Green to take the pressure off and let him play. If we want a title shot before Rondo hits free agency there isn't too much choice.

I've sprouted this so many times, but this line up is a serious contender:

Rondo
Bradley
Green
Melo
Chandler (or Asik)

You either have Sully at the 4 or Melo at the 4 so Sully can be moved for a better shooting guard than Bradley, or a nice first round pick.
Or you keep Sully at the 4 and Melo at the 3 and let Melo play 4 against certain teams/matchups.

Last years Knicks team was a gimmick team doomed to fail. Their success was based on their ability to play great D(thank Chandler) and bomb opponents with 3s. There wasn't anything all that special about that team and playing Carmelo at the 4 wasn't the key to their success. Melo had more legit success in Denver playing the 3 for years.

Any chance you'd care to elaborate on "gimmick team" and "legit success?"

[kozlodoev]

Any chance you'd care to elaborate on "gimmick team" and "legit success?"

Being a one-trick pony that has no backup plan if the jump shot isn't falling never got anyone anywhere.

[D.o.s.]

Any chance you'd care to elaborate on "gimmick team" and "legit success?"

Being a one-trick pony that has no backup plan if the jump shot isn't falling never got anyone anywhere.

The reason I ask is that I just read an interesting article by Zach Lowe on the three point shot, and he made a fairly salient point on this exact phenomenon.

There also remains widespread skepticism that a 3-happy team can win the title, even though that perception is mostly hogwash. Still, the alleged failures of last season's Knicks, and of the Stan Van Gundy Magic and Mike D'Antoni Suns (massively successful teams), have stuck in the NBA's hive mind — especially after last season, when slowpoke behemoths Indiana and Memphis advanced to the conference finals. The Rockets, after all, have won just one playoff series in Morey's tenure. "That style just hasn't proven as successful or dominant as it might seem," Afflalo says.

There is some evidence that teams that shoot lots of 3-pointers are more inconsistent game to game, since the 3-pointer is a lower-percentage shot. In other words: You'll have your 3-of-25 nights, and if you lack other means of scoring, you'll lose on those nights. But the evidence for such inconsistency is a bit wobbly, and it's not hard to find 3-happy teams that have succeeded at the highest levels. The Heat and Spurs, last year's finalists, ranked no. 6 and 7 in 3-point attempts, respectively, and the Hakeem Olajuwon championship teams in Houston held the record for largest 3-point attempt share until the Knicks broke it last season. It's only a matter of time until a 3-dominant team wins the whole thing again.

www.grantland.com/story/_/id/10148890/the-reliance-3-pointer-whether-not-hurting-nba

[vjcsmoke]

Melo is a one dimensional super star.  He's good at scoring, but what else does he bring to the table.  What have the Knicks managed to do WITH him on the roster except to suck and underachieve?   You don't rebuild a young team on the back of a one dimensional star.  Not to mention he's on a max deal that we can't afford.

No worries though, it sounds like the Clippers are looking to swap for Melo in a deal centered around Blake Griffin.  I don't believe for a second that Ainge is trying to acquire Melo.

http://www.latinopost.com/articles/2166/20131217/nba-nba-trade-rumors-nba-trade-rumors-2014-nba-trade-rumors-knicks-nba-trade-deadline-2014-carmelo-anthony-carmelo-anthony-trade-new-york-knicks-los-angeles-clippers-la-clippers-blake-griffin.htm

If not Melo then who?...

Maybe you can trade Humph, Bass, Lee and our two 2014 picks (#19 and #20) for a half season rental of Pau Gasol.  That way we can at least be a respectable playoff team.

Trading for Pau Gasol is an even worse idea than trading for Melo.  And I hate the idea of trading for Melo.  This isn't 2007.  Gasol is a shell of himself and he is on the WRONG side of 30.

I think if you pair Melo with ROndo and give him a defined roll Scorer/rebounder/defender you will have success. He's not like Kobe, Lebron, or even Wade in terms of play-making. Giving Melo the ball and telling him to make things happen is putting him in a tough position. That's when he isolates and you pretty much know he's shooting it after a few jab steps or some other predictable Melo move. He's at his best when he can catch and make his move with the occasional isolation when he's feeling it. Rondo could be the guy that gets Melo the ball in his spots and puts an end to Melo's ball stopping ways.

Yeah, and maybe Antoine Walker will someday learn to turn down a bad 3.  Oops, that never happened.    Asking Melo to change his ways at age 29 is like asking a tiger to change his stripes.

[guava_wrench]

I know that a lot of people around here doesn't want him in green.  People are quick to dismiss him every time his name is brought up.  People's hate for the guy is beyond me when he's a top five player in the league.  I'm just curious to know who the people dismissing him would bring in if not Melo. 

Superstars wins championships and we NEED another superstar and Melo IS a superstar.  In my opinion, Rondo/Melo pairing is a solid Center or solid big away from a championship.  Melo would flourish even more playing with someone like Rondo.  There's no doubt about that in my opinion.  People likes to complain about his defense but Ray Allen was just as terrible a defender but he brought a lot to the game when he was with us.  Imagine what Melo can do under Brad Stevens, and even being around Rondo.  I believe his defense and his attitude can definitely change arriving in Boston.  I really hope Ainge is taking a hard look at bringing in Melo.

This is the kind of logic that led NY to sign Amare.

Ray didn't get paid like Melo will. Ray also understands how to work in a system.

Melo is not a top 5 player. Don't be mislead by PPG stats. There is more to winning than a single player's PPG.

[guava_wrench]

Any chance you'd care to elaborate on "gimmick team" and "legit success?"

Being a one-trick pony that has no backup plan if the jump shot isn't falling never got anyone anywhere.

I don't buy the logic. Unless you are a truly dominant team that runs the table on everyone, no strategy guarantees success. There will always be chance involved in winning.

If you aren't a dominant team, your best strategy might be a high risk high reward strategy, like Eli Manning style quarterbacking. Perhaps you will never be as consistent as some guys, but you might win it all in a lucky string of games while they are consistently knocked out in the second round.

One problem with people doing these analyses is that there is such a low sample size, that there is no end to the number of ideas that can be claimed to be supported by the data. Did the Utah Jazz not win it all because of strategy? No. It was because they faced the Bulls.