[NYPost] Rockets could make push for Carmelo (UPDATE: Blog post)

Melo's value isn't just in what you see him do with the Knicks. They suck, so he has to do everything to try and make them win some games. Melo's value comes in what we've seen him do in the Olympics, when he's played with top talent and still lead the team in scoring, while playing TEAM ball.

 

How is he a low-efficiency scorer? He has a TS% of .560 the past 2 years.

For reference, Michael Jordan, who is widely considered the greatest ever, had a TS% of .572 during his 6 championship years.

Jordan also had a career avg. of .569

 

The only Rocket starter with a TS% less than Melo is Bev, who earns his paycheck on the other side of the ball.

 

And another thought about Carmelo...

I don't think statistics are the be-all and end-all to evaluating how a basketball player will impact a team.

1. What Carmelo brings is another scoring option. Carmelo is a scorer. He can score from anywhere. He can make tough shots that other players cannot make. And sometimes, you need to make tough shots. It isn't a secret that the Rockets have trouble in the half-court. Carmelo would bring more attention, which opens things up for others. When your team has several legit scorers, then that puts even more pressure on the defense.

2. Carmelo is a player who can take over a game. He is capable of going for 40 or 50 points when he's hot. Somebody like Jeremy Lin has a TS% of .575, but he isn't capable of scoring like Carmelo can. He can't create like Carmelo can. He has to get what he can take. And there are only a limited amount of those shots a game.

3. More scoring options means more wins. If Dwight is playing against a tough front court and can't get anything going, then the Rockets rely on James Harden to do most of the scoring. If his shot is off, the Rockets are done. If Carmelo was on the team, that gives another legit scoring option who can take over if need be. So it would be very rare that Dwight, Harden, and Melo are all off their game.

4. There would be a real scorer on the floor at all times. Not times where Lin has to be relied upon to make something happen. Harden needs a rest, and Melo is still on the floor. There will hardly ever be lulls in scoring.

5. When Carmelo understands how the Rockets play basketball, his efficiency may increase. He will be running more fast breaks, which leads to more open shots. He may also drive more as opposed to taking mid-range shots. He will still take mid-range shots, but he may look for other options first. I have no doubt that his efficiency would increase on the Rockets.

 

But Carmelo shoots so much more than most of the Rockets' players. If they were relied upon to do the bulk of the scoring like Melo is counted on to do, their TS% would go way, way down.

They take what they can get. Melo makes things happen.

 

One more point... Jordan had a TS% of .572.

Lin and Jones both have a TS% of .575.

So would you say Lin or Jones are better offensive players than Jordan?

 

This ... Carmelo can learn to be efficient by incorporating the system we use here to his game.

 

yup yup

 

Yeah, this. IF Melo would come in with the understanding that he is part of the offense and not the entire offense (like he does in the Olympics), then he would be a great addition to the team.

 

Definitely Lin. Did Jordan score 38 against the Lakers in his 3rd career start?

 

Melo constantly takes the worst shots in basketball. Over 50% of his shots are from midrange and its not like he shoots a good percentage. Dude is a huge ball hog, it pretty much never leaves his hands once he got it.

 

Different strategy,

Rockets play a high risk high reward style(far less long 2), with highest TO ratio among league. TS% does not take TO into count, and AST/TO does not take assist efficiency into count.

 

Why do y'all feed JTR?! Lol

He just compared bev/Lin TS% to melo like that alone will validate his point of Melos lack of efficiency.

He obviously isn't listening to reason and just tries anything to make him look "right"... Just ignore it. Lol

 

Yes this is an even better point.

TS% is a piece a small piece when evaluating a player. You must take in consideration the players role on the team, who else he plays with, what style offense and pace, and turn overs.

If a player has a TS% of .570 but has an extremely low turn over rate, plays for a team with a one of lowest ranked in pace, is the primary scrorer with teams entries defensive strategy designed to stop him... That is not comparable to a pack up who plays at a much higher pace, whose getting easy shots in transition verses bench players

 

Let's not forget the following factors...

1) Melo is the primary and ONLY scoring option on the Knicks. He gets constantly double-teamed. The VAST majority of his shots are contested (lowering his shooting percentages). This has been true for much of his career.

2) Melo would be facing a lot more single teams and getting open and uncontested shots on the Rockets. With Harden and Dwight on the floor, how much attention can a defense pay to Melo to try to stop him? Especially with Parsons, Tjones, or any number of Rockets players waiting to slash to the basket or take an open jumper any time you leave him free?

3) Melo rarely gets the opportunity to score quickly or in transition on the Knicks. Felton is terrible at pushing pace. Prigioni isn't much better. The Rockets' high TS% across the entire roster is as much a product of excellent shot selection, ball movement and spacing as it is any sort of innate scoring talent.

4) Melo doesn't really have any reliable team mates that can break down a defense. There's nobody that can drive to the rim and force defenses to adjust. He's pretty much on an island, tossed the ball at the perimeter or on the block, and expected to create.

Assuming Melo allows other players on the Rockets to create good mismatches and looks for him, I would expect his TS% to rise significantly. That said, he has his weaknesses. He still sometimes falls in the habit of "holding on" to the ball and not passing out of double teams quickly enough, however he has much improved in that respect over the last 2 seasons.

 

Good points.

 

Man... I may be alone in this, but I really dislike Melo and really don't want him on this team. Maybe we can flip him for LMA or Love?

 

From my viewpoint:

1: No one is going to argue that the Rockets need more offense. There are not enough shots to go around in the starting lineup right now.

2: No one is going to argue that Melo will improve the Rockets defense. And the defense, unlike the offense, could be improved significantly.

3: No one is going to argue that Melo is going to cost less than $22M per season. That is a huge amount of money, more than one third of the salary cap. $22M is four good NBA players.

4: No one is going to argue that Melo has ever been considered a good teammate over a NBA season. Why expect Melo to change now?

5: No one is going to argue that Melo is going to improve over the life of his next NBA contract. The odds say that he will be a significantly worse player in the fourth year of his next contract.

 

He could be the best scorer on the team, but I don't think he is a good fit for us. He can't take on the big 4's who give us a hard time. We are fairly strong at the 3 with Parsons.
Love or LMA would be better for us.

 

This is a pretty bad statement by you. Morey has said the best contracts are max and min contracts, that's the best way to build a championship team not waste unnecessary money on player who cost in the 5-10 mill range, those role player productions who cost that 5-10 can easily be replaced by those min contratcs and the extra money used to bring anouther max player.

The only validation I see to this point is if you agree with the mark Cuban philosophy that sometimes in sport when everyone zigs you should zag. Right now the majority of teams are trying to replicate this max min contratcs only philosophy so Cuban says when everyone in hone nba tries to do this you get bargain deals on the 5-10 mill range.