DD, I love ya man but I have to agree that this really is a stupid thread. Let's say, for argument's sake, Melo and Durant are roughly equal. In that situation, where you're building a team around a particular player you would ALWAYS go with the younger guy as your tiebreaker. Not that I think you aren't capable of understanding this type of simple logic. Far from it. There's just better ways to get your Melo-resistant stance across than creating completely biased polls like this.
Head to head, who has been the more dominant team, OKC or Nugs? I'm just curious. I don't know the answer offhand.
Why is it so hard to root for Melo? And so easy to root for Durant? I think this is at the heart of the issue. Do you think Melo can remedy what it is that makes it so hard to root for him?
Durant-type players almost never become available. This summer with Lebron and Wade being free agents was the first time in a long time that a real superstar has been on the market. You don't develop Durant-like players either. They come into the league destined to be what they've become. From day one it was clear that Durant was going to become a great player. No matter how hard the Rockets work to develop Brooks or Martin or whoever, they're not going to become superstars.
Melo is actually more skilled than Durant. There isn't a scorer in the NBA more talented than Melo. What Melo lacks is the competitive fire to be the best...he could be with his skills. Durant seems more competitive than Melo and I think will end up being more successful. KD if I were starting a team.
I think from a pure scoring standpoint, Melo is a more skilled scorer than Kobe. He's bigger, stronger and can score from anywhere Kobe can score. If you include the whole aspect of the game, mentally and defensively as well as scoring, Kobe is the better overall player.
Just imagine if portland drafted Durant instead of Oden. Brandon Roy and Kevin Durant on the same team would be scary
I don't get this Melo is the best pure scorer in the NBA thing and can score from anywhere on the court more than any other player. Some of you really need to go take a look at his hot/cold shot chart.
Melo took his team to the NCAA championship and won it. He's done a pretty damn good job keeping the nuggets in the playoffs. The only thing that makes me want to pick Durant over him is his attitude, esp the dumb fights that he gets into and also the bad PR that he gets.
Kobe is the better overall player, and he is clearly the more skilled scorer. Posts like this are why I think Carmelo is one of the most overrated players in the game. Some people have this burning need to give him credit where its not due. Anthony's advantage is physical, due to Kobe being a 15 year veteran. As far as pure basketball talent, Kobe trumps him in every way.
Couldn't agree more. I don't know where this mythology about Melo started. His skillset has never approached Kobe's. The only advantage Melo has over Kobe is size, but the vast difference in skills makes Kobe a much more unstoppable offensive player. I say this as someone who strongly dislikes Kobe Bryant.
People are ridding durants jock hard despite him having done nothing yet. It might be more deserved next year. Carmelo has won ncaa championship has taken his team to playoffs EVERY YEAR despite having constant turnover in teammates and coaches. There were a lot of questions about Durant when he was drafted. His combine numbers were very troubling. He was weak, his 3 point drill number etc were not very good. People were concerned he would just become a chucker. Avg 20+ points a game jacking up a lot of shots. After his first year you didn't know if he was going to be great. However combine numbers don't mean everything(jerry rice). He worked hard and the man could always shoot and he got through the physical play. i saw him at texas and I didn't know if he was going to be great. His skills were off the charts, but he wasn't a plus athlete like tmac. I think it is too soon to adore him with the accolades.
