IF Denver makes the playoffs..

i said it before the draft, during the draft, after the draft, and i'll say it again now: i'd have taken carmelo anthony with the #1 pick. the hype lebron generated overshadowed anthony a great deal, but there is/was no denying exactly how talented he is.

some players are born winners. they just know how to win. carmelo is one of them. they don't "wow" you in the stat books or with flashy moves. they just do whatever it takes to win. you'll think you did a good job on him, but at the end of the night, you look up and realize that anthony just dominated the game with a few key boards, timely shots and general floor leadership.


anthony > lebron

 

I saw bits of the Boston game an CA made some clutch plays down the stretch including a nasty reverse jam and a falling down layup. He also made some stupid plays down the stretch, but still, he had the cajones to take the rock and step up for his team at crunch time (even though they lost). I was impressed with his attitude and suspect he will only get better. Much better.

 

First of all the Nuggets won't make it this year...
They are impressive so far, but they aren't good enough.
IMO they have had the easiest schedule this year, so they will hit a bumb pretty soon.

On the Anthony/ LeBron discussion I have to say that there is no doubt in my mind that I would have taken LeBron with the #1 pick.
I love them both, but LeBron IMO has better potential than Carmelo. His athletecism is superior, and the 3pt % is surprisingly even so far between the two. Even though I must say that I have more confidence in Carmelo's shot.
But look at Magic Johnson and Jordan when they came in the game. They couldn't shoot well... you can learn it. So can LeBron. Carmelo got no chance in developing the athletecism that James got.
LeBron is also very impressive when it comes to bball IQ. He is smart. And he makes some great passes. As I see it, LeBron has a better potential, but they are both great.
Once again, I love them both. But LeBron will be the better player.


And yes LeBron is helping his team!

 

I told you. Carmelo will rank in the top 25 players this year and the top 5 soon after. Denver will make the playoffs. And soon enough will be fighting for a championship. Carmelo has proven it on every level and with due speed. I expect nothing different in the NBA. But that being said, Lebron is da' man too. This very well coul be Magic versus Bird in a few years. Yao is going to get his, but these two kids are part of the show just the same.

 

Key words being "down the stretch". The first 3/4 of the game was, well, disappointing. I'm not really going to bash Melo because he is the man. However, he was pretty bad the first 3 quarters of the game.

As for the person that said we have played the easiest schedule, only one thing comes to mind. We've beaten the Spurs, Kings, Suns and Dallas. I believe they were all playoff teams last year.

 

Denver will not make the playoffs.

That's an easy prediction.

 

Let me say this again and loud: Melo is OVERATED.

He's shooting under 40% from the floor and plays really crappy D. OK he's already good, especially for a 19-year-old rookie. However, I just dont see the kind of freakish athleticism that I see from Lebron in Anthony. The league has changed over the last decade. In order to win in this league now, you have to have FREAKs. Of course you also need skills and smarts, but skills and smarts alone will no longer translate into winning. Let me say this in another way: players like Larry Bird will no longer win in this league. Nowadays FREAKS win championships (cough Shaq Daddy cough). And Melo is not a FREAK. He's a very polished offensive player for his age, but I just dont see him ever reach the superstar status that some predict him to be because of his lack of quickness, explosiveness, and leaping ability. When you think about Anthony, think Big Dog.

Kiki has done a great job as the GM, but denver still doesn't have enough talents, especially on their frontline, to compete and win consistently in the west. Mark my words: Denver will not make the playoffs this year. However, since they have a huge cap room next summer, things could change in a hurry.

 

Carmelo Anthony is pretty polished for how young he is, he already has an NBA game and get tons of FTs, which is the mark of a player...

But c'mon... he does NOT have the upside of Lebron James. LBJ is... to bring back an arcaic expression, the bomb diggity. Much higher FG%, better passing, more hops... and the maturity... Lebron James has it... the mentality to be a great player.

 

How about Bosh shocking everyone beating out Carmelo and Lebron? He will now start for them as Center and in the East he can dominate

 

My opinion is that Larry Bird could dominate in todays game. Putting the rock in the basket is still the name of the game. And Bird could do that with ease. You don't need speed to score. Bird had pump fakes, picks, and moves that gave him enough space to shoot. All of that would work today just the same. And I think Carmelo brings that too.

 

Carmello doesn't shoot like Bird.

 

Or pass like him either.

 

2 Wins Against Golden State
2 Wins Against Cleveland
Chicago
Milwaukee
Orlando

11 of your first games at home

You have a few quality wins, but the Spurs and Suns have been bad and dallas was w/o Nowitzki.


Good Record and Surprising, but with the schedule not THAT much of a stretch.

 

"the bomb diggity" is an archaic expression?

 

I think this is ludicres. Duncan is no FREAK. Duncan is an above average size power forward with above average athleticsm and above average strength yet has lead his team to 2 rings in the last 5 years. TD is is better than the athletic FREAKS like T-Mac, Kobe, Shaq (the current one, not the Shaq of 3 years ago), or KG because of TD's phenomenal fundamentals one top of solid but certainly not FREAKish athleticism.

If Larry Bird was in his prime he would probably be better than all current NBA players sans Shaq and Duncan. Just look at Peja, he is pretty good version of Bird light (very light)--if Peja had Kidd's court vision, AI's tenaciousness and confidence, and Reggie Miller's shooting ability in the clutch or off balance (e.g., even when not set or fading aways) you would pretty much have Larry Bird. Dirk is pretty good too but nor is he a Larry Bird. And this is admitted from someone who hated the Celts and Larry Bird.

This is right on. I have to admit I was skeptical of James as #1, but seeing them both, yeah I would have taken James. But I still stand with what I have I have saying all along that Carmello is farther along as a compete BB player right now and will be the best rookie playing this year. James may over take him long term--but Carmello is just much farther along in his feel for scoring and feeling where the defense is.

BTW I don't really think Bird is the best comparison to Carmello. Carmello is more athletic than Bird and has more guard like qualities, Carmello to me is more in between Bird and Magic. Lebron's talent is like a Magic with Jordan's athleticism. But the odds that either rookie ends their career at the Bird/Magic level is remote (they have a tremendously long way to go to get that well rounded and polished), and at the Jordan level, miniscule.

 

Great post Desert Scar.

Anyone that says Melo isn't atheletic isn't watching him play and just listening to clips. That was my knock on him before this year, but he's shutting me up. He'll fake a shot, drive right by someone and tehn finger roll like the Ice Man. It's beautiful.

BTW, if you're interested, we play tonight at 5:30 mountain (6:30 your time). Should be interesting to see if we come out fired up after the egg we laid two nights ago.

 

If we make the playoffs, it won't be because of games like tonight.

The team is starting to believe their press clippings. They needed to get knocked down a few notches, and that has effectively happened.

I never said this team was a lock to make the playoffs, but they're better than tonight, and they're good enough to be in the position teh Rockets were in last season -- contending for a playoff spot in April.

 

Put it this way....

IF Denver makes the playoffs, it will be because they have been moved to the Eastern Conference.