I think he is pretty danged close.....on Wade's level...but not Kobe or Lebrons.... And I don't like Melo. DD
I don't think Carmelo has near the impact on his team's wins as Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant. If "elite" means that he's being put in the same category as those players, then I can't say he's elite.
An elite player is a guy a contending franchise can be built around, there are about 10 in the nba and melo is cearly one of them. Below average defender? He is hardly below average, in fact he can play very good defense at times. Don't mention leaving him out due to defense and then mention nash being better than him aka the worst defender in the nba. His team is good but not stacked like you seem to think so. It is full of streaky and inconsistent players and his only somewhat reliable #2 option is Billups who can be as streaky as they come at his age now. And behind granger? Lol, the same player who has never even sniffed the playoffs in the east. People forget so quickly that just two years ago, he nearly led his team to the nba finals and many were considering him the 3rd best player in the nba
Carmelo is up there! 2nd SF behind LeBron. That may change soon though, with Kevin Durant. In a few years or maybe even next, KD will get it. If I wanted to win a game RIGHT NOW, I'm going to take Carmelo over K-D. If I'm looking for the future and just a great teammate to have, I'm going KD. I wouldn't mind trading him and bringing him to the Rockets; HOWEVER, I wouldn't want to give too many pieces that would break up our team chemistry.
Yeah, he is up there with Durant too.....I forgot about him.....and REALLY like him....lol. Durant is still young, but he is right there too. DD
I'll bring this up again, based on my own subjective view and very strong data the 5 best players in the league are Lebron, Durant, Wade, Howard and Kobe (listed in order of best PER/oPER & +/-). No surprise this was the 1st team all nba guys, which means the guys did their homework and didn't factor in prior years or reputation. The next tier in these metrics (and there are big drop offs after Lebron/Durant/Wade, than Howard, than Kobe, than the next group]) include Dirk, Duncan, Paul, Nash, Williams & Roy--and Melo. (actually Bogat look here empirically, but not ready to really put him there) So I ask does Melo more belong in the company of Lebron/Wade/Kobe OR Dirk/Duncan/Williams/Paul? If you think he belongs more with the 2nd group than the 1st, I would not use the word "elite". I view Elite as among the very, very best--not a great player who is an indisputable notch below the best. And Pau Gasol is very good but still quite overrated. He is borderline in the 2nd group, and probably more belongs in the all-star but still "3rd tier" group (with guys like Joe Johnson, Bosh, Amare, Billips, KG, Manu (when healthy), Boozer, Rondo, Parker, Pierce, maybe Bogat here, etc). Don't think for a minute Gasol is better than Duncan or Dirk, even if they are not quite what they were a few years ago and borderline elite themselves.
People who say Melo is top 5 never bother to list who he's better than. People who say Melo is top 10 are hoping others are too lazy to debate players that are probably better than him. Durant has already moved past him. The best comparison to Melo is Dirk.
It's pretty hard to argue that Melo is better than any of the top 5, and Dirk, Duncan, and Paul are almost certainly ahead of him. I'd prob take him over Nash, but DWilliams and Roy are at worst equal with him. So that makes Melo at best #9 in the league, and more realistically #11. I think you could make a pretty reasonable argument that some of the others lower on the list could be better than him, too.
Classic example of a stat guy misusing that per 100 possession crap in evaluating a fantastic player. Is Melo a elite player? Hell yea!!! End of thread
Dirk? Duncan? Pierce? Better than Melo at this point in there careers? This is comical on all levels. Way to much 2K10 my friend
I agree he is top 10 in the league. If that is your definition of "elite", that is fine. I think to be elite you have a good case to be the best in the league or at least at your position, and Melo doesn't. Pierce is NOT better than Melo. But Dirk, Paul, and Duncan at worst are closer to Melo than Melo is to Lebron. So if 2nd tier but top 10 is "elite", that is fine, just not my definition.
You don't watch Wade enough. He broke his back carrying the pathetic Heat last season. Melo is elite but is definitely NOT on Wade's level. Wade belongs with Kobe and LeBron; they are the top 3 players in the league. Melo belongs in the next tier below those guys.
He's not as good as Lebron, Kobe, Wade, or Durant. But he's a top 5 player, all-world, game-changer, and can be the centerpiece of a franchise(unless he lynches Larry Brown). He's elite.
James, Bryant, Durant, these are your perennial top 3 (in the mvp race too) barring injuries. Wade, Anthony, Paul, maybe Williams and Dirk are the next group that can all come 4th.
