Dude, we give up more layups/dunks than any team in the league and we've been doing that for a couple seasons now. Melo being in there won't make a difference. You saw the lineup. You put three great defenders around Melo and Harden. Paul, PJ, and Winslow....that's as good as it gets. Then you put Melo on the opponent's worst offensive player and you fight over the picks and don't switch. (We're already doing this now with Capela because he can't stay with the smalls on the switch either.) In the Warrior's case, the worst offensive player is .... Draymond. And that's who is going to be their center when it comes time to win games. Their top 5 are Curry, KT, Iggy, Draymond, and KD. That's who they're going to live and die with in the stretch and for the majority of the floor minutes. Melo works GREAT in that scenario defending Draymond. Fade off him. Let him have the 3-ball. Or Draymond melts into the low post. Melo defending Draymond in the post is fine. Draymond has to come back down and defend Melo. He can't leave him. Or Melo will burn him, at the 3-point line, and at inside. Melo needs to embrace the small-ball 5 role here and help us beat the Warriors and win a championship.
Melo is still an above-average scorer if he is a starter. Melo is likely to get waived. Brand is too conservative to get him. Heat and Lakers show no interest. Nobody is planning to sign him. Will Morey pack with 2 second round picks with Melo to 76ers?
WhyTF should we care if Melo can't win a championship with any other team? That's just silly. Can he help THIS team? Apparently, the answer is no.* *Unless you care to dig up some of those stats you're hiding.
We don't care...whether he can win a championship elsewhere. We should be hoping he does. Because it's in our best interests....to play him as our small ball 5. And it's in his best interests to play small ball 5. What we do care about is if he goes to the Lakers or Warriors and becomes their small ball 5 and then we have to beat those teams with him playing the role that he is really ideally suited for here. That would be terrible.
Holic-to-English translation: "If you don't agree with me, you're close-minded." WhenTF did we acquire Winslow? Did I miss that transaction?
He is old - he can't keep up on D, Melo can't admit he is old, that is a problem - let him go. I can see the TRUTH, you should try it. DD
