I don't get all the Melo hate. I thought the guy was a knuckle-head and unable to lead a team a few years ago but he seems to have matured. I watched him duel Lebron bucket for bucket in a regular season game last year and as Lebron yapped in his ear, Carmelo just smiled and kept going at Lebron. The Nuggets won that game. In the 2009 playoffs, I thought Melo and Chauncey were fantastic. I think the Nuggets win that series if, other than Billups and Melo, that team was not arguably the dumbest group of basketball players in the NBA. Seriously, that team is loaded with bone-head players but Melo isn't one of them. I would love to have the guy here even if it meant losing either Brooks (preferrably) or Martin along with Budinger, some filler players and a draft pick or two. For the record, Brooks is a goner in any trade for a superstar. Morey doesn't seem sold on his skill set (as opposed to Lowry), he is up for a big pay day and he flat out does not make the players around him better. He could be a great 2nd option on a 50 win team but he won't ever be able to run the offense on a contending team.
Agreed. I think you have to take the good with the bad. He has matured with his game. Time to learn RA's offense! and some D.
I'd like to give Brooks one more season before I give up on him as our PG, but I've always thought he was better suited to be a 6th man.
Agreed about the sixth man role. He is like Super Leandro Barbosa. I just don't see him being able to maximize the talent around him the way Lowry does. Sure, if your team needs scoring, he is your man but if you have Yao, Scola, Melo and Martin on the court with you then you need a guy who can get them the ball instead of one who is going to get his own shot (and a lower percentage than all four of his team mates can get for themselves).
Well you are gonna find out, because that is exactly what the Rockets are doing this year with him as a starter. Let's see if you are right or wrong. DD
...I remember Bill Simmons on one of his podcasts got into a tangent on Worldwide Wes and I guess the story he heard from his insiders is that Wes was the guy who got into Melo's face and told him to clean up his act and cut his entourage because they were bringing him down. Apparently Wes started advising him on protecting the Melo "brand" and approaching the game like business and stop taking it for granted. Since then, Melo has cut his bloated entourage as well as his hair, got married, won an Olympic medal, put up the best numbers of his career, stayed out of trouble, and led a dangerous Nuggets team to within a few timely Ariza steals of the Finals...and he wants to leave Denver why? Because he doesn't see them as a long term contender and he is absolutely right. They traded away their best defender, the #2 on that team is way past his prime, and their coach has a long history of coming up short coaching in the final minutes of a tight game. Not to mention Karl is battling cancer and the Nuggets don't presently have a GM. None of that bodes well for the long term success of the Nuggets - even if Melo stays. ...I see your concern DD, but there are very few "game changers" in the NBA and even fewer who don't come with some kind of worts. The safest way to acquire a superstar is by the draft and that takes being in the lotto AND having a bit of luck too. We all want a Kevin Durant type of guy, but if you weren't the team drafting him, good luck finding him in the open market. I think if you had to roll the dice on someone who is actually available or will be in the near future, Melo would be my choice as a calculated risk of a guy who seems to be heading in the right maturity direction and who already has the tools be elite in a lot of areas.
These are hilarious. I love them, being from Denver. Again, if Melo can buy into a "team" game, I'd welcome him, much like Ron-Ron, whom I wish was still here.
....and to add to that - even if Melo is a complete disaster in Houston - he's still a guy who other teams will take a chance on just because of his age/skills and Morey is a guy who seems to have skill at milking value in trades.
He represents the best chance we have of sniffing the Finals while Yao is still on the team. Fans who don't want him need to wake up and realize that we're not going anywhere without a top ten player, and the real bummer about top ten players is that there's only ten of them.
IMO Melo was a disaster before Chauncy. J.R. Smith never really helped Melo mature. Karl, although I kind of like him, his style of coaching is more designed for thugs - like the Sonics were. Just his nature/strategy. And remember, they are called the 'Thuggets' in Denver for a reason. When they are winning, everyone is into it, but when things aren't going well, seems lots of folks jump ship, including the players. I've tried to root for the Nuggets for years here in Denver, but I just can't do it. I was actually rooting for the Jazz one time, and I was shocked, really shocked. But the Jazz had some young talent, and it was fun watching them play well against the established and somewhat 'stacked' Thuggets. How a team carries themselves when they aren't doing well, how the bounce back, how they stick together ... Nuggets were getting better, but they, as a team, had so little of what a Scola, or a Battier, or a Hayes, or a Yao have in droves. We're really spoiled watching Houston. Its great watching a team that 'plays right'. I'm "all in" with the Rockets apparent strategy to fill their roster with intelligent talented players with tons of integrity. I think a team like that could collectively take down teams of more 'talent' filled with 'superstars'. You need talent, and team cohesiveness. Tough call about Melo if he is available and wants to come here. I guess it depends on what we have to give up...
Well, we have so many assets, it makes sense. We can hold all these picks and expiring contracts, or we can make a move while Yao and Martin are in their prime. Sure, I would rather have Chris Paul, but he's Melo may be more readily available.
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Carmelo surrounded by Kenyon Martin, Allen Iverson and J.R. Smith is a bit different than Carmelo surrounded by Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and Yao Ming. Carmelo's attitude and ability improved a lot once they got rid of only Iverson and replaced him with a good guy like Billups -- they got to the Conference Finals. So, I feel pretty confident that surrounding Carmelo with guys like those on the Rockets could improve his teamwork, effort, and attitude even further. Having a players' coach like Rick Adelman will probably help, too.
RIGHT! One thing I cannot abide in America is when a member of the media uses the media to express an independent opinion about a public figure. Obviously criticizing a public figure who gets paid millions to play in sport that's partially supported by taxpayer dollars is ludicrous and frankly racist and probably antisemitic! The only people who should be expressing any opinions are Rachel Maddow or Jon Stewart, whom I will immediately parrot in my own arguments with strangers on the street and gov jocks on the internet. Relax people. You all honestly didn't get a chuckle out of those editorial cartoons? I want Melo and I thought they were pretty clever. 1) Litton is right in his observations of what's happened in Denver over the years 2) Everyone in Houston understands this and the assumption is that he'll be better behaved around Yao, Adelman, Battier and the rest of the guys since they'll be winning and Melo will have more structure. Carmelo would be a huge asset and likely take Houston over the hump in the playoffs but he's not ALL upside there are some honest drawbacks. Kroenke and the Nuggets have made some great moves for him in a small market. They've done more than was done for Lebron and like Lebron Melo is turning his back on the team that drafted him and gave everything to him and supported him when he misbehaved. Given all that there are obviously going to be red flags and disgruntled opinions around Carmelo. Anyone surprised by all that hasn't been watching Melo's career or know much about him. Personally my biggest issue isn't that Melo is a bad seed but that he likely wont come here anyways.
Everyone needs help to win fool. KG was a beast in Minne but the team was trash and couldn't even use 1st round picks to help build around KG.
