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'Melo Out
I think Carmelo Anthony is overrated. Indeed, the only doubt I have whatsoever about making that assessment is that he seems to me to be one of those guys on the verge of developing a reputation for being overrated, at which point you cease to be overrated. But I have to admit, he seems to be doing really well in these international games alongside a bunch of fantastic players.
Even weirder, Antawn Jamison seems to be outplaying Gilbert Arenas.
August 13, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
I don't think he's overrated. Sure he's inconsistent, but other than that I think he just has the curse of the uber-gifted -- grace that some observers mistake for indifference.
Posted by: Dan | Aug 13, 2006 11:29:22 PM
I don't know that he's overrated so much as rarely rated. Instead, he's simply referenced with LeBron and Wade as one of the new stars. The implication is that he's in the same class of ability as those two, and that's clearly wrong. But no one seems to explicitly make that claim. He's a very, very good player, though.
Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Aug 13, 2006 11:59:47 PM
The implication is that he's in the same class of ability as those two, and that's clearly wrong. But no one seems to explicitly make that claim.
This may be right. It's not, however, simply that he's mentioned along with D-Wade and LeBron, but that other guys like Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard don't get mentioned. That further seems to imply that you're saying Melo plays at a Wade/LeBron level. He is, to be sure, still a very good player.
Posted by: Matthew Yglesias | Aug 14, 2006 12:16:01 AM
"This may be right. It's not, however, simply that he's mentioned along with D-Wade and LeBron, but that other guys like Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard don't get mentioned."
Melo's game is sweet.
The problem is that a great slasher just ain't as valuable in the NBA game as a great inside-out '2' guard, a great power forward, or a great unholy monster like LeBron.
Melo just has a lower ceiling than the other guys.
But if one is grading players on a combo aesthetic / effectiveness scale, Melo surpasses Bosh. On the other hand, if you're grading on who to build a title winner around, Bosh is the better than Melo.
On the third hand, if you're grading on whose entourage it'd be more fun to be a part of, Melo beats Bosh hands down.
Posted by: Petey | Aug 14, 2006 3:05:18 AM
And a player like 'Melo does fit in the international game, better than Wade does. As for Arenas, I don't think that nontraditional point guards are going to work. But he cares, which is worth something.
We should annex Canada if only to get Nash on the team.
Posted by: Mac | Aug 14, 2006 11:50:24 AM
The interesting thing is that as a scorer, Melo appears to be virtually the equal of Wade and Lebron. His numbers in P/40 and TS% are remarkably similar to those two, but it is passing ability that really seperates Wade and Lebron as superior players. Melo's skill set seems to be very similar to the young Glenn Robinson, but Melo is a significantly more efficient and high volume scorer. I don't like Melo, but Bosh, Lebron, and maybe Howard are the only three players who have proven themselves to be better and younger.
Posted by: Alec Halaby | Aug 14, 2006 11:57:29 AM
Melo is mentioned along with LBJ and Wade (and Bosh too) because is an all-star coming out of the 2003 draft. So there is a natural connection among them - even more so than just being a "young star". Hell, if you remember back to that draft, I recall some people were even saying that they would take Melo ahead of LBJ (given than Melo had just won an NCAA championship and was more proven than LBJ).
Apparently Arenas is out anyway, with a bad groin.
Posted by: Al | Aug 14, 2006 11:58:03 AM
Bill Simmons was sipping the 'Melo-flavored KoolAid before the playoffs, touting Carmelo as "more clutch" than LBJ and DWade, but backpedaled after the Nugs' early exit. I agree with Alec-- he's a clutch scorer, potential superstar in the making, but he's no distributor. He helps his teammates by making the shot, not creating it. I hate to admit it, but I agree with Petey when he says:
"The problem is that a great slasher just ain't as valuable in the NBA game as a great inside-out '2' guard, a great power forward, or a great unholy monster like LeBron."
The only problem is, when did Petey start talking like Bill Walton?
Posted by: Greg | Aug 14, 2006 1:38:27 PM
I bet this comes out in italics, and I have no idea how to make it stop. Oh well.
Melo is indeed overrated if anyone is rating him among the top 5 or so small forwards. The only aspect of his game that's above average is scoring. He's a very good scorer, but that's not enough to put him in the top tier.
Posted by: Steve | Aug 14, 2006 4:05:18 PM
"Bill Simmons was sipping the 'Melo-flavored KoolAid before the playoffs, touting Carmelo as "more clutch" than LBJ and DWade"
Melo made a bunch of final minute shots this past season. 82games measured him as knocking down an abnormally high percentage of his clutch-moment shots.
Posted by: Petey | Aug 14, 2006 4:22:17 PM
"I bet this comes out in italics, and I have no idea how to make it stop. Oh well."
Check. One. Two. Three. Check.
Posted by: Petey | Aug 14, 2006 4:23:23 PM
Melo is indeed overrated if anyone is rating him among the top 5 or so small forwards. The only aspect of his game that's above average is scoring. He's a very good scorer, but that's not enough to put him in the top tier.
Problem is that you have a hard time defining "small forward". You've got a whole bunch of swingmen - LBJ, Pierce, McGrady - who can play the 2 or the 3. And you've got others who can play the 3 or the 4 - Marion, Kirilenko. I think I'd take all 5 of those guys before Melo, but no other guys who can play SF. Melo's a guy who's not in the top 10 NBA players at the moment (like Wade and LBJ), but is in the 11-25 range, and moving up. Nothing wrong with that.
Posted by: Al | Aug 14, 2006 5:35:30 PM
but no other guys who can play SF.
If you're really saying that you'd take Melo over Kobe, you are insane.
Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Aug 14, 2006 5:58:19 PM
If you're really saying that you'd take Melo over Kobe, you are insane.
Well, this is a classic short-term/long-term difference. Kobe's a better player now and will be next season, but 'Melo's substantially younger and still possessed of the crucial upside while Kobe's going to fall off the top of his game pretty soon.
Posted by: Matthew Yglesias | Aug 14, 2006 7:34:18 PM
Also, Kobe's a 2, almost all the time.
Posted by: Steve | Aug 14, 2006 7:43:24 PM
82games measured him as knocking down an abnormally high percentage of his clutch-moment shots.
"Game Winning Shots"
Melo 11/17 (.647)
Wade 6/17 (.353)
Kobe 7/32 (.219)
LBJ 4/19 (.211)
http://www.82games.com/random12.htm
Posted by: Just Karl | Aug 14, 2006 11:21:46 PM
"Well, this is a classic short-term/long-term difference. Kobe's a better player now and will be next season, but 'Melo's substantially younger and still possessed of the crucial upside while Kobe's going to fall off the top of his game pretty soon."
Meh.
I think Kobe's peak is so much higher than Melo's likely peak that Kobe should still be a better player than Melo in 3 or 4 years.
I think we're looking at the second coming of Paul Pierce in Melo. That ain't nothing, but Kobe's in a much higher orbit.
Posted by: Petey | Aug 15, 2006 6:43:02 AM
Agree with Petey, down the line. People seem to really underrate Kobe now. I'd take LBJ over him, but that's about it.
Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Aug 15, 2006 9:46:28 PM
Other than Wade (who has Shaq in his back)... none of the class of 2003 is better than Melo. He won in college and has been able to bring Nuggets to the playoffs many times before even Bebron had dreamed about.
Posted by: Bans | Aug 31, 2006 5:43:03 PM
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