True but I'd much rather have Capela/Anderson combo at 35m a year over Adams/Roberson at 35m. Anderson is not worth 20m but he's also not a negative unplayable player. He's actually really crucial to what we're doing offensively. I bet the thunder would rather have Anderson at 20m a year over melo at 26m. I'm sure the Rockets feel the same way at this point. Blessing in disguise and I was a melo supporter but now I'm glad we didn't trade for him even if it was just a Anderson/melo swap.
I would do a Anderson/Melo swap in a heart beat. Bench Melo for the rest of the year and have a nice chunk of change for a solid role player next year.
Just some caution for those ready to dance on OKC's ashes - their point differential is +4.6 per game, which is fourth highest in the West, while showing 0 signs of any sort of cohesion. Don't expect them to stay under .500 forever
Mel just needs LaLa to keep his spirits up, and I mean that genuinely. Before trouble in paradise, Melo and LaLa were super heroes as parents. I'm sure they still make it happen for the kids, but together, I'm sure Melo would feel much better both on and off the court.
That's a scary thought if you're a Thunder fan. Their wins are against the: Bulls (arguably the worst team in terms of talent in the league) Mavs Clippers (whose struggles have been well documented) Bucks (I'll give them credit for this one) Pacers Knicks Of those teams, two/three are bad and/or are underperforming. The Pacers and Knicks aren't terrible, but they're far from being great or even good teams. The only arguably real team they beat was the Bucks. Also, they lost to Sacramento who held a team with Westbrook PG and Melo to 86 points! When you're playing against a fairly young team with a former MVP who's known for scoring, a solid scorer in Paul George, and one of the better pure scorers in the past decade in Melo, you've got some serious problems.
Strength-of-schedule adjusted efficiency rankings still has OKC as the 5th best team in the West, and the 7th best team overall. Just playing devil's advocate, but do you really expect OKC to finish below .500? There's no way Source: https://www.nbastuffer.com/2017-2018-nba-team-stats/
they’ve blown out some terrible teams like the Bulls, but when they’ve faced teams that are at least decent, they’ve looked suspect I would be surprised if they stayed under .500 solely due to talent alone, but they are not as good as people thought they were heading into the season
they are definitely not as bad as people think they are. They've had some pretty big leads on good teams and just end up blowing it in the 4th quarter. no way they stay under .500
Neither combo is particularly good at their price tags but it’s about a wash. Adams is better than Capela but his price tag is terrible. Roberson is a better fit defensively than Anderson will ever be but he shoots even worse than Home Ryno. I agree I’d got Capela/ Anderson but that has more to do with the terrible contracts of Roberson and Adams than the skill of either Capela and Anderson. All things being equal, Adams and Roberson would be a better fit for beating GSW as we are currently constructed.
As far as the Melo for Anderson....my gut feeling is that Morey would still pull the trigger if it was only Anderson and filler. I don’t think this team, as currently constructed, can beat GSW 4 straight times. Would Melo be the piece to put us over the top? Idk but we do know he’s more versatile than Anderson and can at least get his own shot in the playoffs.
I dunno about the Melo/Anderson part. I'd still rather have Melo over Anderson right now. I'm pretty sure Morey would do the Anderson/Melo swap in a heartbeat, esp. Since his contract comes off the books earlier.
It also be interesting to see how Melo would play with CP3. If you recall his only two acceptable destinations were Houston and Cleveland. It seems like he reluctantly expanded his list when it became clear the Knicks weren't budging. Remember in the Suns game when Paul literally made Ariza move? I can't see any other player doing that besides maybe LeBron. I think Melo would buy into the system more with CP3 here.
Do y'all really think Melo would play differently here though, even if that swap was possible? I was a supporter of getting him too, but he does seem to stop the ball too much in OKC. I'm unconvinced the sheer will of CP3 and MDA's scheme would change him. On the other hand, he is playing with Westbrook, who never makes anyone better.
Roberson sucks. what he is, is a terrible fit for any team that values floor spacing which is more important to winning than whatever level defense people think he plays. Bc he isn't stopping the elite players from scoring at the end of the day. A wing that is an atrocious FT shooter as well. guys in the league guard him farther away then rubio. thats just embarassing
We don't have to beat them 4 straight times Heck . . . If things keep going like it is We could potentially have home court then we only have to beat them every other game 1-W 2-L 3-W 4-L 5-W 6-L 7-W Win Series Rocket River
after seeing okc melo a few times, i really dont know. Theres just way too much NY melo in okc for my taste. but the reality is, is that he is a ball stopper and if hes not hitting it has a huge negative effect on the rest of the team. and its not like hes really contributing anywhere else. who knows maybe with cp3 and harden it could be different but i dont think its a given
