Melo is 20-21 years old and ya'll talk like he has peeked or something. The kid led his team to the playoffs and had the best 2nd half of the season of any team in the league last year. He has also led his team to the playoffs 2 years in a row which is something even LBJ has not done yet and he did it in the west. No Melo isn't perfect and is not up there with Tmac, Dirk, Duncan, KG but he is still one heck of a player and will continue to improve unless he implodes. I don't know of many players that peaked before their 21'st birthday (not counting me who peaked around 7th grade) and I doubt a player with Carmelo's ability will be the exception. His agent is doing what he is supposed to do which is get him the most money he can and all Carmello can do is play his best so someone will offer him max money. On a side note, I get the Melo, LBJ, Wade comparison but I don't get the bosh comparison. What the hell has bosh done to justify the comparison. The kid can't even post a winning record in the east while playing with VC and Rose. He'll be lucky to sniff 30 wins this season. Despite all of Carmello's flaws, the kid has never experienced a losing season in his life, was on the best team in the country in highschool, won an NCAA championship, and posted winning records in both his seasons as a pro. I just don't understand the Carmelo Anthony hate.
It's his image.. the way he didn’t want to come off the bench for so called "DREAM TEAM" to the way he was busted with drugs in HIS bag and his friend takes the fall, the way he acted on PUNKED when he wanted to beat everyone’s ass.. I know it's just "PUNKED" but he didn’t handle it well at all.. Also the way he didn’t want to come off the bench for his own team (PIPEN like)… I don’t like the guy cause he comes off as a JERK, he is very lucky to live the life he does.. SO YES, I'M A HATER, but I think it's rightfully deserved...
All Anthony does is score. He doesn't score efficiently, he doesn't defend, he doesn't take care of the ball, he doesn't create for others, and so on. That's why there is "hate" for him. That's not a max player, that's Glenn Robinson. Anthony certainly could become a great player if he improved, but so far he hasn't improved. He'll definitely get max dollars if he hits the free agent market though because he sells jerseys and he's still young. BTW, Anthony would be coming off the bench in Detroit and certainly not getting anywhere near 20 ppg.
Dude, you put him behind BOSH. To add fuel to your fire, something I've discussed that you guys might not be aware of. Last season, the Nuggets owner split withi Fox Sports and started their own TV network. This is great for Nugs and Avs games as you have pre-game, game time, post-game, features, etc.. However, the rest of the time, the programming is AWFUL. Kroenke (our owner) HAS to be losing money on this right now. Even though he married a Wal-Mart heir, you have to wonder how long he's going to be willing to lose money on a TV network.
rockbox, I don't hate Carmelo. "Hate" is way overused on this forum. Just because you point out flaws in a player doesn't mean you hate them. Please give that up. I've said before I want him to do well and hopefully he will get his act together and be all he can be as an NBA player. He just doesn't appear mentally or emotionally ready for superstardom. Comparing him to LeBron and Wade is a complete waste of time. Both of them are very young but you can clearly see they are destined for greatness. Carmelo hasn't shown me that. I don't care what he did in high school and college. Wade's Marquette team wasn't as good as Melo's Orangemen but so what? I would still take Wade over Melo. None of us can get inside Carmelo's head; it's all guesswork. I'm afraid once he signs a max deal he will relax some. He hasn't shown me the drive necessary to be a truly great NBA player. He allows too many distractions and side issues to affect him during the season. Maybe he will prove me wrong. I hope so. He seems like a nice kid who isn't ready for what's expected of him at this level. Just MHO. As a pure Rockets fan, I want the Nugs to give him or Nene a max deal because neither deserves it.
Personally, I can't stand the guy. I'm sure if your reading this you've already read reasons like his attitude and his 1 dimensional game. I have to agree with both of those. I think this NBA stardom has gone to his head and he thinks he deserves anything he wants. I agree with what someone else mentioned that he will get the contract and probably relax. I wouldn't want him on my team, but I hope he does get the max just to hamper the Nuggets. Pugs
Players I would give the Max to: Yao Ming Tracy McGrady Kobe Bryant Tim Duncan Kevin Garnett LeBron James Shaq DWade Iverson Amare given he has good health Dirk Jermaine O'Neal Jason Kidd in his prime Players like Ray Allen, Michael Redd are good players, probably all stars, but the don't change and effect the game like list players do. The guys I listed can carry a team, not just put up shots and collect numbers on typically bad teams. Brian
Just going by what he has actually done, Yao doesn't deserve a max deal...now, we are all hoping that this year he puts up those kind of numbers but up until now he doesn't deserve that money.
A question to those who have a fairly short list of players they would give the max: What if you have a very good player that another team will pay the max? Suppose a SnT is not possible and you have a fairly low payroll. Do you let the player walk for nothing, which blows a hole in your team, or do you overpay the player by $1-4MM a year? Assume you are not "capped out" and are not already approaching the luxury tax. A lot of teams figure it's better to re-sign the player.
I disagree with a few of these Yao - hasnt proved it, probly wont have the chance to Kobe - hasnt proved it either........we'll see this season though Garnett - Im not too sure on this one. Hes an amazing player, but it took 2 big time free agents to get him to the WCF Amare - hasnt proved it by any means......without nash, he's not near as good Dirk - too one-dimensional, and not a very good teammate
This is the curse of getting a player like Melo Anthony. He is good enough to be your best player for a long time. But if he is your best player, then your team has very little chance of contending for a title (unless you have a team like the Pistons). Plus, if you get a talented guy like him on your team, it's not very likely for you to get very high in the draft to get, or to trade for, a top 10 caliber true franchise player. So you are either stuck in the middle of the pack for a long time, or you let him walk and start all over again. If you let him go, you suck for a few years at the bottom and hope that some once-in-a-decade kind of kid becomes available in the draft and you happen to win the lottery that year. Or you keep him and hope that somewhere a disgruntled superstar wants out and you can trade Melo together with some luggage for that player. Sounds familiar? We had that kind of a player in Francis. Well, we didn't exactly let him walk. But he got that mysterious headache and we sucked. And we won the lottery and got Yao. Then there is that disgruntled superstar in Orlando.... Damn, we are soooo lucky.
About who deserves the max, there's two reasons to award it, IMO. The obvious qualification is those players who are franchise players that have the potential to lead a roster to a title. The second is a business angle. Players who guarantee revenue. Yao is the greatest example of that. He's already paid for his max deal with what he's brought the Rockets. That said, I believe the vast majority of GMs hand out max contracts like fools. Too many get them based on potential and the GM's fear of losing their top player. From a basketball standout, teams (like the Bucks) facing the prospect of overpaying a player (Redd) the max or seeing him leave would be better off S&Ting him for draft picks and young players. The business side, however, is the exact opposite. Rebuilding squads can't sell tickets. Evan
Oh, I'd give him the current max ... .... his team after all could use the extra money from the heavy paycut it would entail!
The Nuggs should pay him whatever it takes to retain him. Someone will offer him a max contract, even if he isn't a 1st tier guy. After he's signed trade him as soon as a better player becomes disgruntled. Worked with Francis ...
I hope he can get that contract too. Because he is the most overrated player in the league now. He thinks he is at the same level as LBJ. But he is at the level of Tayshaun Prince at best.
I've always thought of him as a more athletic Glenn Robinson. Big Dog carried that Purdue team and he even had some hops, similiar to Melo at Syracuse. I think Melo is a very good young talent and become better, but as it currently stands he's pretty one dimensional like Glenn Robinson. He's a scorer, but outside of that I don't think he brings as much to the table as the superstars of the league. I haven't seen much in the way of passing or defense. He could still develop those, but I don't know if I'd bet on it either.
I disagree with you on this one. Dirk is one-dimensional, but there isn't anyone else in the league like him and there hasn't before him. Were talking about a 7 footer who can knock down 3's on a regular basis. He's a scoring machine who also grabs 10+ boards a game. How doesn't that deserve the max? Oh and Kobe, he was the fastest player ever to 10,000 points. He still has room for improvement but he can score at will and play pretty good defense. Kobe is a guy that coaches game plan for and can dominate games. Saying that he doesn't deserve the max just shows you haven't paid attention. Saying Garnett doesn't deserve it? COMON! The guy is a 22/14 monster! Is there any better all-round big man in the league? No. He can pass, play D, handle the ball, shoot, score inside, rebound, he can do it all. Saying he doesn't deserve the max is insane. Finally, ceraintly Amare has had a lot of time to prove it but he continues this pace he will and that was my point with him.
