Who Needs Melo?

Melo, Stayme7o, Hoodie Melo, Sweet Melon (where the hell did that come from...) - we know him by many different names and styles of play. Lethal jab steps, questionable shots, Team USA three point bombing and a lack of desire to pass the torch (or ball for that matter) to anybody else on his team, we've seen it all from Carmelo Anthony - but have we seen it all? Today we'll be talking about our opinion of his career, his recent struggles in Oklahoma and Houston, as well as the hot topic: will he ever play in the NBA again, and if so - which teams might need some Melo magic?

Is Carmelo's career Hall-of-Fame worthy or cringe worthy?

Jake: Charles Barkley, Elgin Baylor, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Allen Iverson and Chris Paul.

Just a short list of current (and future) Hall of Fame players who never won a ring. Carmelo Anthony's win shares is 101.0, both Allen Iverson (99.0) and Elgin Baylor (104.2) sit closest to him and they both scored in similar mid-twenties per game while actually shooting less efficiently than Melo. While Carmelo has a lower PER (20.3) than both Iverson and Baylor (20.9 and 22.7) it is obvious that if Hall of Fame players were judged by their statistics that he'd make the cut. 

But unfortunately within the media spotlight that engulfs the NBA nowadays, Carmelo's attitude toward team basketball over the last couple of years hasn't painted him in a good light. He's gone on the record more than several times stating adamantly (and sometimes even laughing the question off) that he wouldn't give up his starting role. It really pains me to see such a difference between his incredible Team USA role player performances and his NBA ball hogging inefficiency. His lousy attitude towards team basketball really frustrates me as someone who was raised playing team sports "the right way", nothing hurts a team more than a player's ego - which is why I have so much respect for players like Tim Duncan, Nikola Jokic and Steve Nash - players who sacrifice their own statistics and individuality for the good of the team (also note how all three are excellent passers - a product of enjoying and playing team basketball).

However, Carmelo Anthony's narrative as not being a "winner" is a bit old. When we look back at his career I think most people will look at his playoff record (worst in NBA history) of 16-36 (.308) and put it down to him not being a real leader or a clutch player. This is a little bit misled, because if you actually look at the playoff series he's been in as a member of both the Nuggets and Knicks, his teams have lost to the eventual Conference Champion six times and the eventual NBA Champion four times. That's a pretty brutal series seeding right there. In fact, only two times has Anthony's team faced an opponent with a worse regular season record than their own - and his team won both times. His playoff losses have all came at the hands of teams that outperformed his own during the regular season and then outperformed them again in a playoff series. So technically, during most of his playoff series, a win for his team would have been an upset - and when your second best player is a run down Allen Iverson, an ageing Chauncey Billups or JR Smith, it's easy to see that Carmelo Anthony has never had a lot of help.

My verdict: Hall of Fame, but will be recalled as the underachiever of the 2003 Draft compared to LeBron and Wade.

Chad: There isn't much to be said here that you haven't already covered. The sad thing about Melo's stubbornness to play his way and listen to no-one is that he doesn't even seem to realize that as good as his was, he could've been so much better. For example, you mentioned Nikola Jokic. I would argue that in fact he doesn't sacrifice his own statistics but actually has enhanced stat lines, assists being a good example, because he plays "the right way." Melo was fully capable of being a guy like that. He didn't have to go down this road of self-destruction. But he has become one of the last remaining iso-players from the Iverson, Tracy McGrady era. An era that quite frankly wasn't nearly as fun as the 1990s or 2010s.

And when it comes to being in The Hall, sure Melo's stats will speak to his qualifications for such an honor based on how these things have been selected in the past but that's my biggest beef with how the selections are made for the Hall-of-Fame class each year. Inevitably there is at least one player/coach that frankly doesn't deserve such an honor. Not because they weren't terrific as an individual talent, but because they didn't bring anything extra to the game. To me the HOF should be reserved for the greatest of the greats. Those that changed the game, accomplished great things both as individuals and as teammates (because it is a team game after all), and those who may not have had the teams to win a 'ship, but tried their hardest and just couldn't get over the hump (ie. Malone and Stockton) because maybe there was just someone (ie. Jordan and Pippen) who was even greater than them. That hasn't been Melo's problem. He just hasn't been able or willing to be a teammate on a winning team. It's all about him everywhere he goes. And even individually he's not an all-time great in my eyes. Six all-NBA selections. So he was only top-15 in the league six years. Meaning all those other years there were a minimum (MINIMUM) of 15 players better than him. That's a lot for someone who we're trying to make a case should be enshrined with the best players ever.

I swear I'll try to not be biased this whole article but you can probably already tell how I'm going to be answering these questions.

Melo has only made it out of the first round of the playoffs twice in his ENTIRE career and has the worst winning percentage in NBA history of any player who has played at least 50 playoff games. Think about that for a second. We're questioning whether someone with the WORST, dead last, rock bottom playoff record of anyone in NBA history deserves to be in The Hall.

Mell no!

In case you didn't get my little wordplay there... Hell no!

But he will get in because everyone who has a name as big as his gets in.

What if "OKC Melo" had morphed into "Team USA Melo"?

Jake: To me, the initial news of New York's intent to trade Carmelo Anthony to the Thunder in return for Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott was incredibly exciting. A chance for Carmelo to morph his offensive potency into a genuine game changing third option behind Russell Westbrook and Paul George. If he was able to play unselfish basketball and work hard to get to efficient spots on the floor similar to his time with Team USA, then the results could have been extraordinary. As we know though, it didn't quite work out that way. Despite Oklahoma having a +5.1 Offensive Rating with Melo on the court, compared to only a +0.1 when he rode the pine, the Thunder just couldn't keep up a two-way effort with Anthony's sieve-like defense, making him sometimes unplayable when Jerami Grant was knocking down a higher field goal rate (53.5% to Melo's 40.5%) and playing hard on the defensive end (2.4 defensive win shares compared to Melo's 2.5).

I honestly feel that Oklahoma should have given the almost certain Hall of Famer more time to develop within their system. I feel like if Carmelo had an epiphany and decided to replicate his Team USA talents, then Oklahoma seriously could have contended for a 'ship the next season - after adding a better back up point guard. Just picturing Russ's ridiculous athleticism carving up defenses, backed up by Paul Georges two-way brilliance and Anthony's corner-three proficiency all coming together like a Picasso masterpiece makes me drool. That's the kind of team right there that with the right reserves and veteran guidance could keep up with the Warriors PRE-Boogie, right now they'd have no chance - just the same as the rest of the league *silent crying*. 

Chad: I'll be honest, I did have a little hope that by joining two players that everyone (except Melo of course) knew were better than him, he'd turn into Team USA Melo. I really did hope that. I thought if it's ever gonna happen, this is it. And like you said, they seriously could've contended for a 'ship. But what happened is what always happens with this ego maniac, he couldn't fit in because he's stuck in the past. I praise his draft-mate D.Wade for being able to understand he's not the same player anymore and has thus declined with grace and still gives effort to non-contenders. Melo should really read some Buddhist literature about how being stuck in the past only causes suffering. Looking for the future as well. He missed a great opportunity in the present moment to contend with two hardcore competitors in Russ and PG.

I wonder if there are any spiritual texts about how writing blog posts about Carmelo Anthony also causes suffering?

Team USA Melo was an anomaly. A Melo who shot high percentage threes, played back to the basket in the post on the occasion it was the best thing for the team and rebounded at a high rate. The big thing for me was the last point. He rebounded so effectively and purposefully. He bought into that being his role and even my dad who can't stand the guy (runs in the family I guess), talked about Melo being the best player on some of those Olympic teams. That's literally all he had to do in OKC. And it's not like that's asking him to do something he's never done before. He's been Team USA Melo in the past four Olympics and several World Championships in-between.

We still have two more questions on this guy? I've gotta take some deep breaths.

Did Melo deserve more of a chance in Houston?

Jake: I'm going to keep this brief, just like Carmelo's stay (10 games played). The Rockets threw him under the bus here. A shitty start to the season wasn't what they expected after such brilliance the year before, with the pressure on and Houston looking nothing like what we expected them to be, they falsely decided Carmelo was the problem - which is easy to presume when you look at his track record (sorry Melo). Okay, so he was averaging career lows in almost EVERY traditional stat, efficiency and plus/minus category. But what do you expect when he's GENUINELY trying to adapt to a team's style of play as well as averaging career lows in minutes per game (29.4 - crazy that this is his lowest mpg...) and usage rate (20.5%). 

This is a man who genuinely apologized to his teammates when he stepped into a wide open pull up two pointer instead of firing from deep. I think he was truly trying to make his opportunity in Houston work, he must have known it was his best opportunity to get a ring and I think it's a genuine shame that he's currently without a team.

Isaiah Hartenstein, Gary Clark and Vince Edwards, do you know these players?

No? Me neither.

These are 3 players on the Rockets current roster that play at Melo's position, if you're going to tell me that they deserve a spot over a 15-year NBA household name then you're a worse liar than Chad claiming Dwyane Wade doesn't deserve an All-Star spot.

Chad: *Eye roll* Dwyane Wade doesn't deserve an All-Star spot. But I dig the NBA creating two EXTRA spots for he and Dirk.

I'm actually somewhat in agreement with you on this one. Melo could've been an ideal fit for Houston. And not the could've like in OKC. This time it was at least half Houston's fault. They let Trevor Ariza move on which was a huge mistake since Melo doesn't bring any defense with him. I don't know if he just forgets to pack it in his gym bag or what but it never shows up to the game. And like you said, Houston only gave Melo ten games to try to fit in. While I don't think he did as good a job as he could've in trying to fit in, I'll give him some credit and say I do think there was some effort there on his part.

I want to feel bad for him because I think this was his last shot at still being a third option on a title contending team. But I can't find a single H2O molecule in my tear ducts to shed for, Sweet Melon.

That said, I don't think this was his last stop on a title contender in any capacity. He just may rot in (basketball) hel... I mean rot on the bench averaging a measly (sarcasm FYI) career low of 25 minutes per game which he's bound to complain about at some point. Knowing Melo he'll probably bring up his lack of minutes during a crucial Game 5 of his first ever NBA Finals.

Ungrateful bastard.

Goosfraba. Gooooosfraaabaaaa.

Will Melo ever play in the NBA again? If so, which three teams could use him?

Jake: 25551. Carmelo Anthony's career total in points. I personally want to see that number increase and think it will, so here's three teams that could use Sweet Melon (I still hate to love that name).

Portland Trailblazers

Portland has one of the worst benches in the NBA, they have nice young talent in Zach Collins and Seth Curry, but they're hardly game changers who can come off the bench and drop 15+ points a night. The Trailblazers have always been a thin squad and have struggled to assemble any top tier offensive talent around Lillard and McCollum since Aldridge fled town in 2015. Despite Portland's dynamic duo being able to keep the Blazers relevant in the playoffs most years, they could really do with some offensive backup. I could easily picture Melo leading their bench in scoring and ensuring that their train doesn't derail when Lillard or McCollum are resting.

Detroit Pistons

Detroit is in a bad situation, they're two games behind the Miami Heat for the 8th spot in the East, they're clearly in some kind of "win now" mode with Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond - and they have a dismal excuse for a bench with Ish Smith, Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway headlining their reserves. Now Anthony is definitely going to need to put his ego in his back pocket and just attempt to get buckets until a contending team needs him - because you aren't going to want to take away development minutes from Stanley Johnson at the 3, and Blake plays Anthony's second position at the 4. But count me in for watching an angry Melo try to kill the league off the bench each night.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are one of the best teams in the league right now and look like they're ready to make some serious noise in the playoffs, I just think the one thing they lack right now is a shot creator off the bench. They have Tony Snell, Ersan Ilyasova (majorly underrated), Donte DeVincenzo and John Henson riding the pine right now - and none of those particularly stand out as players who can explode off the bench. I think adding Carmelo Anthony to the mix would be a great look for the Bucks and knowing that he's in the shadow of the next big superstar in Giannis, I think Melo would happily adjust his game to whatever the team needed - particularly if he realises the potential to appear in his first ever Playoff Finals. It would be both a luxury and necessity for Milwaukee to rest Giannis for a few minutes here and there during the playoffs and know that they could still score in the slower half court setting that playoff series often provide.

Chad: Wow, this is tough. Which three teams could use him? The Atlanta Hawks, maybe? No one?

In all seriousness, I don't think there is a title contending team that can use Melo in the form we last saw him in. He's still not unselfish enough to be a role player on a good team in my opinion. That said I would like to see him on an NBA roster putting up shots for a bad team. That's what he's good at so as fans that may be the way we get the most out of Melo before he finally calls it quits. So my squads are...

Atlanta Hawks

Melo spent what, like three hours as an Atlanta Hawk a few months back? Let's make that several months to a year or two, see how he adapts to being the third option on a young, bad team, and thennnn if he's successful give him one last opportunity to play with the grown ups.

Assuming he graduates from the NBA's version of primary school...

Los Angeles Lakers

I don't actually think they need him but if anyone can turn Melo around it's his buddy Bron Bron. And if this Anthony Davis trade doesn't go through they potentially could use some extra fire power off the bench. Yes, off the bench. That's why I don't think Melo can help anyone because we know how disrespected and butt hurt he feels when he has to come off the bench. And who would you rather start at the forward positions on a team that has LeBron, Ingram, Kuzma, and Melo? Safe to say Melo is the fourth option at his own position. But at least on this team he would actually be an option.

Portland Trailblazers

I also think Melo can be an option, although a smaller one, here with Dame, C.J., and Nurkic. But I don't think this will work either because there isn't enough leadership in the locker room to hold Melo accountable. Melo will walk in thinking he's the best, most seasoned player in the locker room despite getting outperformed by Al Farouq-Aminu in practice every day. Although I feel certain of that, I think if Melo can suck it up and just be half of what Team USA Melo was he could help Portland. All he needs to do is rebound and hit wide open shots created for him by Dame D.O.L.L.A.. Speaking of which, Dame is another guy who to me is a younger version of Melo. Thinks he's way better than he is. Doesn't win anything of importance.

Ugh...

Dude, I know it's Sunday but can we please write a Friday Funday so I can stop being so negative? I feel like The Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge. Or Melo when he's sitting on the bench. Ok. Ok. I'm done dissing Melo.

In closing, don't count Carmelo Anthony out yet. He's still got enough transferable talent to succeed in the modern NBA, providing his time away from the league has increased his desire to jump back in and find a team that needs his talent - 25551 won't be the end.

Chad: That closing was written by, Jake. Ok, now I'm done. :)