'Melo only gets press because of the LeBron connection. But it all stops there. I mean, he's above average, but only slightly so.
Well, Garnett doesn't have that 120 million dollar deal anymore. He's got about a 100 million dollar deal. They're still struggling to put players around him. You know who has a 98 million dollar deal (if I recall correctly)? Kenyon Martin. So you see, they already have one max deal, and it's one of those monster deals that aren't allowed in the current CBA. Now we're talking that + an undeserved new max deal for Melo. Good luck, Denver!
So where are all the Melo detractors now? Ranks #8 in the NBA in Points Per Game(25.8) Ranks #15 in the NBA in Minutes Played(1542.0) Ranks #5 in the NBA in Field Goals Made(370.0) Ranks #4 in the NBA in Field Goal Attempts(794.0) Ranks #4 in the NBA in Free Throws(324.0) Ranks #4 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts(409.0) Ranks #4 in the NBA in Points(1083.0) Ranks #6 in the NBA in Field Goals Per 48 Minutes(11.52) Ranks #7 in the NBA in Field-Goal Attempts Per 48 Minutes(24.72) Ranks #3 in the NBA in Free Throws Per 48 Minutes(10.09) Ranks #2 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts Per 48 Minutes(12.73) Ranks #5 in the NBA in Points Per 48 Minutes(33.7) Ranks #8 in the NBA in Total Turnovers(127.0) Ranks #16 in the NBA in Total Efficiency Points(869.0)
He's made HUGE strides since last year. Got to just tip your hat to the guy. The way he's producing, he deserves the Max.
Granted I don't watch every game, but he doesn't strike me as a MAX player. In other words I wouldn't trust him or have faith he could bring my city a championship. He's just not in the same league as the Tmac, Kobe, LeBrons, or even Wade's IMHO. He'll get it from them or someone else -- if Redd and Joe Johnson are MAX players, Melo deserves to be one too.
He did make huge stride this year... but to prove someone's deserving a max contract, this list isn't a good one. This is a quintessential ballhog list. He does nothing but scores and throws up shots.
Does Melo deserve the Max? Sure (since KMart / Dampier / JJohnson) all got it. is he a franchise superstar player? no but he is damn good I put him on the SF3 level before JVG of course. J
I agree he's on the SF3 and Marbury level, but he's certainly deserving of the max given the number of mediocre star players in the league who're getting that much, including a certain bust on the Denver team (K-Mart, the name is ironic, indeed).
Unfortunately, just scoring and throwing up shots will almost guarantee you a max deal. Melo will get the max and when compared to others who have the max or max-like deals, he certainly deserves it. This is coming from a bonafied Melo-hater. He is young and very talented, he is the Denver Nuggets and he is improving. He may never be a SuperStar, but he is a star regardless.
Look at the players that are making the max right now: K-mart, JJ, Big Z, Redd. He is better than all of them and if they get it than surely he does. If I were the Nuggets I would just be worried about what K-marts contract is doing and throw him off a cliff.
melo does deserve the max and he is in fact a franchise player. He is the leader on that nuggets team and just look at how many games he has put away by himself down the stretch of ball games.
It cannot be denied Melo is having a great year. Correct me if I'm wrong: But didn't he work extremely hard over the summer for the first time? Because it's a contract year? If he continues to dedicate himself, he is worth a max contract. I don't know if he will make that effort once the ink is dry. Something about Melo bothers me; I just can't quite put my finger on it.
Melo is a hard worker. Kiki and Karl have been raving about him since about a month into Karl's tenure here. Having Karl around really woke him up and he started really hitting the gym hard. As for the low assist numbers, a good chunk of that is due to the fact that the Nugs can not shoot to save their life. Give us a consistent outside threat, and Melo's assists EASILY go up 2 or 3 assists per game. I knew he was going to have a good year, but those of you that haven't seen him in the last 2 months have no idea how good he's become. There was a stretch there when he would score 37 points and we'd be upset because he didn't get 40. I'd still like to see his rebound numbers come up a little though.
it's hard to believe people thought melo didn't deserve the max, he's a top ten player in the league his numbers are sicko
He wasn't nearly as good last year. This year he's taken his game to another level, scoring higher, better FG%, and getting to the line more. Top ten might be stretching it, but he's been a(n) (efficient) scoring machine, and certainly worth the max.
id say about top 15. McGrady Wade Lebron Nowitzki Kobe Shaq Duncan Nash Billups Amare those are 10 there that i think are better then him. i think you would surely group him in the next five though.
Or the problem is that there are too many guys who should get over the max that aren't getting it, which makes it look like that the other max players are getting over paid. Lebron, Yao (just due to the revenue and attention), Tim Duncan, T-Mac, Kobe, and Nash all deserve a lot more than the max, in that what ever team they're on, they'll will change the face of that team. But they are getting shafted by the CBA.
To be honest, I'm not the biggest Melo fan. I think he hangs out too much on defense. I just thought it was funny that some people talked like he's already reached the pinnacle of his ability at 21. I can say this much, there is not a small foward in the league that has the post game that he has and I think he will be around a long time because his game isn't based on athletism.
