Carmelo is the easy target for all that is wrong with the Knicks. And I understand it. During this losing streak he's been shooting a ton, missing a ton and not getting others involved as he was trying to do earlier in the season.
And while it's understandable he gets the blame right now, it is also unfair. Landry is starting to come around, but NO ONE is shooting or playing with any confidence whatsoever. A lot of it has to do with not having a point guard. But for the most part, STAT, Douglas and Landry have been playing so horribly that they are scared to shoot. And over the past couple of weeks I think Melo has felt that, gotten frustrated and reverted back to trying to do everything on his own. And to be honest I can't blame him for that. No one else is able to score or do anything else properly, besides Chandler who has changed our defense and plays hard every night. If only he could be better around the basket off of offensive rebounds.
If you watch all the games you have to realize that before this losing streak started and Melo was healthy, he was playing outstanding basketball. Making great passes, shooting well, trying to get people invloved, etc. Since then, he's been playing hurt and no one else has stepped it up besides Fields the last couple games.
It's natural to question the trade now, but I don't care what Denvers record is. They won't get past the first or second round. If the Knicks are healthy and Baron can stay healthy I think we'll be alright. If Baron plays well but we still can't mesh, then we have a serious problem. But I'm not ready to write this core off yet. They're too good when the right peices are in place.
agree with this post completely.
for everyone saying melo is dominating too much, explain what happened in memphis when melo went out. this team looks SCARED when melo isn't shooting. maybe it's the wrong response for him to continue to shoot it in that light, but it's not like ANYONE else is stepping up. iman tried to do that and he shot like 3-18 in memphis... or was it 3-20?
i think baron helps in the confidence department. hopefully he can help some other guys on this team get their swagger back (amar'e, looking at you.)
crzymdups wrote:agree with this post completely.for everyone saying melo is dominating too much, explain what happened in memphis when melo went out. this team looks SCARED when melo isn't shooting. maybe it's the wrong response for him to continue to shoot it in that light, but it's not like ANYONE else is stepping up. iman tried to do that and he shot like 3-18 in memphis... or was it 3-20?
i think baron helps in the confidence department. hopefully he can help some other guys on this team get their swagger back (amar'e, looking at you.)
when the guy pretty much forced the team into being ISO heavy, it's no wonder that players who thrive on ball movement would be left feeling uncomfortable once he leaves a game. and it's also no surprise that since the team has started games with a renewed emphasis on moving the ball, that Landry is finally looking good again.
people like to say that Melo was passing the ball and guys weren't hitting shots. well, standing around waiting for Melo to (maybe) throw you a bail out pass, when he can't get his, is not the most comfortable confident position to get shots in. it's reminiscent of the way Marbury ran the offense.
every team has to be able to play team ball. the ISO game is a must-have, but you can't run it all game. Melo has to accept that the ball must move. simple as that.
once the ball starts moving crisply, the offense will be more efficient, commit less turnovers and, in turn, the defense will improve for not having to give up as much in transition.
One thing I have noticed, during our wins we get 20 or more assists per heme. In our losses we get less than 20. Against Denver we had 15 assists at the half and were up by like 10. Then our ball movement died off, assists wend down and we know the result.
ramtour420 wrote:One thing I have noticed, during our wins we get 20 or more assists per heme. In our losses we get less than 20. Against Denver we had 15 assists at the half and were up by like 10. Then our ball movement died off, assists wend down and we know the result.
Exactly
Once everyone buys into the idea that the idea is to get the best OPEN shot and NOT the first AVAILABLE shot, things will improve. There is more wrong with Toney Douglas hoisting a three off the dribble, than Carmelo taking a contested shot. Make better decisions and the ball will find the hoop.
Carmelo is a warrior and played despite being injured. Unfortunately, that injury may influence a reluctance toward contact - except in an emergency - which is why he started going hard to the rack.
Good News: There were 15 assists in the first half of the Denver game. Landry Fields led everyone all Knicks the end with 7.
Baron, take Toney Douglas' minutes. Please.
I agree with most of the things said on this thread- I get why Melo is over doing it- the rest of the team has played like garbage for most of the season.
But we have reached a turning point. It seems like he's starting to understand- we'll see if he actually changes his ways or if it's just talk. Even if he doesn't, BD should help as it gets the ball out of his hands.
Melo seems like a good guy- he put in extra work in the offseason and he wants to win- I hope he starts playing smarter and less selfishly.
If Melo's teammates haven't "stepped it up" yet, what are the chances that they WILL step it up once Melo decides to go ISO for the majority of the teams' possessions? Almost ZERO.
When Melo goes ISO and attempts 30 shots for the night, his teammates' confidence will drop. They're professional basketball players, they're not going to be SCARED when Melo isn't shooting the ball. If Melo steps up as a leader and is able to convey his trust in their jumpshot or get them involved in the offense, they will be the exact OPPOSITE of scared. They will be involved, hustle more on both ends of the court, and it will keep the opponents guessing.
When Melo goes ISO, the other teams recognize this and adjust their defense accordingly. Melo is double-teamed and begins to force shots, and our other guys are left flat-footed, watching the action from the other side of the court. There's no ball movement, and the other 4 defenders get to rest on Defense.
I'm not saying having Melo on this team makes the Knicks worse. We know he is capable of much more. But when he plays ISOlation basketball and shoots 30 while Amare is in the single-digit FG attempts, this will NOT yield long-term success.
Carmelo's play right now isn't ALL that is wrong with the Knicks but it is a damn good reason behind their woes.
Get Well Carmelo
"Maybe its a time to reevaluate everything, reevaluate my body, sit with the trainers, see whats going on, he said. Im kind of hard-headed as far as them telling me to sit out games. I dont really know how to take that. Maybe its time to reevaluate that."
Every leading man needs a stunt man. Without that, he just takes too many hits and the bruises are slow to heal. Steve Novak is Mister Shy Shot. Bill Walker is more two than three. Shawne Williams is missed much. The Mayor would be perfect, but you already knew that.
Acceptance Of Responsibility
"Maybe I should take the blame for the games we've been losing, offensive struggles. Coach does run the offense through me. So Ill take it. Ill take that blame."
It is a manly thing to man-up and take the weight. No blame needed. Just make nice with Baron, keep your head up and all is forgiven.
Hit the open man. No matter what.
Valentines Day
We fall back in love.
The sheer fact that we question the trade means it was not worth it. We need to start asking if Carmelo is a product of being on a good team in Denver.
We had a top rated offense last year and are ranked near the bottom this year. We are #1 in the NBA in isolation plays and almost last in efficiency. There is a reason.
Melo creates a situation where his teammates aren't involved in offense and then, unsurprisingly, they don't do well with the rare shot attempts that they get.
Bonn1997 wrote:Melo creates a situation where his teammates aren't involved in offense and then, unsurprisingly, they don't do well with the rare shot attempts that they get.
unfortunately, he must be the player to initiate our offense. He is the only player that can draw 2-3 defenders to cheat and he must hit the open man.
We can't generate good looks because Tyson Chandler and Amare both cannot post up neither. We have to take good shots, so our own team, could predict when the crash the boards, and with the right angle. But when Melo goes 1v1, we do not know how or when the shot is going up. But the defense is already getting good position
for the rebound and preferring him to take a bad shot, especially a contested jump shot, and he is very willing to take it. When this happens, it often gives our opponents defense to predict and prepare for the next step, ready to get the rebound and launch a fast break to score easy baskets, before Tyson Chandler and the rest of our defense can get set.
We also have to stop constantly switching on the PnR on defense, letting our opponents dictate mismatches, whenever they want.
We have to fight threw majority of the screens, while sometimes, switching and look to rotate or switch back when we can.
Problem is when the Center or BIG is guarding the PG, he has to defend the pick for 1 or 2 seconds, and look to quickly rotate to another big when he can.
Oh well, Melo's epiphany was nice while it lasted...
@alanhahn Alan Hahn
Meanwhile, Melo downplayed his post game melancholy from Sat nite. Said he was being hard on himself. #Knicks
Looks like he and Amar'e have had their talk though- we'll see if it does any good...
@AdamZagoria Adam ZagoriaAmare said he and Melo talked last night and today about 'how we can both dominate the game' #Knicks
smackeddog wrote:Oh well, Melo's epiphany was nice while it lasted...@alanhahn Alan Hahn
Meanwhile, Melo downplayed his post game melancholy from Sat nite. Said he was being hard on himself. #Knicks
Looks like he and Amar'e have had their talk though- we'll see if it does any good...
@AdamZagoria Adam ZagoriaAmare said he and Melo talked last night and today about 'how we can both dominate the game' #Knicks
I agree with the original post.
Before seeing the post quoted, I was going to say how I believe it was very BIG and mature of Melo to publicly accept the blame when it isn't all his fault.
Guess what, I still believe it was big of him to do so. And I'm GLAD that he said he was being too hard on himself. To me that is Melo, saying "No, I am not going to accept all of this as my problem." And he is totally right to feel that way because it is NOT all of his problem. Who the hell else is going to step up? Can we even expect anyone else(aside from Amar'e and maybe Baron) to step up? I say no we can't because the rest of the team minus Jorts and Iman are a bunch of scrubs. 
needs to step up as well. But I don't expect that much from him either.
True melo doesn't deserve all the blame but he does need to answer a lot of it. if you are considered a star player than you are suppose to make the team better. Also when you trade many valuable pieces for one player there is gonna be and should be pressure. Now it might not be all fair but its not crazy. I'm not a Melo hater but i try to tell it like it is. he is a tremendous offensive talent but he is not a complete player like lebron,kobe,dwight,wade,and even durant. The reasons why a lot of us bring up the trade was because it was a very risky move that could kill a team. Now i have never said any of those guys are even clos eto being as talented as melo but all those guys together worked well here and might have been even better this year. As a knicks fan i hope melo can turn it around and make other guys better
It's like people are trying to make Melo an excape goat.
BasketballJones wrote:It's like people are trying to make Melo an excape goat.
There is no excape from Melo as there is no goat that Eddy Curry cannot eat in one dinner.
Melo has ill-nasty talent but unfortunately for him basketball is a team game. And if he can't learn to play basketball, the Knicks will suffer for many years. Really, this is the problem. He doesn't know how to play basketball. He had some 'Luck of the Bears' in Syracuse where his talent was so far above anyone else on the team that he could get away with being a one-man team. Guy caught fire and had a good run with a team of healthy pieces one year in Denver, but largely he is a disappointment.
The Piper has to be payed now.
As he nears the Big 30, it will become tougher to put the sack of potatoes on the back and haul it. It's a blessing for him that the Piper came to collect while the kid has some years left in his prime. If he can learn to play basketball now, he will be a happy man later in his career.
It's the old 'curse of the gifted'. It's the same curse whichever way you're gifted. When you're gifted, you're so far above the norm that you can get away with cheating on many rules. Melo can do in hoops what a lesser player would have to work twice as hard to do.
But this cheating on the rules can catch up with you in funny ways. You lose some connection with your lesser peers, you are disconnected from the process they went through to ball on this level. It doesn't have to be so, but the window is open for this fracture, and it's easy to fall through.
He has all the time in the world to correct it, and his attitude during this critical time will determine if the guy goes down as a legend or as a Marbury.
This is a big season in many ways.
Melo is avergaing a career high 4.2 assists per game. I think he wants to get others involved but the team has a habit of stopping and watching him with the ball in his hands. Melo has taken some bad shots but he often gets the ball back with 6 seconds or left on the shot clock. He is not a point forward and is is doing his best to do the job the team has asked of him. When Baron comes back runs the offense this will be a non issue. MDA's systems needs a solid PG and we don't have one until Baron gets on the court. One thing I will say is that fair or not, Melo is going to get the blame as the franchise player...Welcome to NYC Melo.
CashMoney wrote:Melo is avergaing a career high 4.2 assists per game. I think he wants to get others involved but the team has a habit of stopping and watching him with the ball in his hands. Melo has taken some bad shots but he often gets the ball back with 6 seconds or left on the shot clock. He is not a point forward and is is doing his best to do the job the team has asked of him. When Baron comes back runs the offense this will be a non issue. MDA's systems needs a solid PG and we don't have one until Baron gets on the court. One thing I will say is that fair or not, Melo is going to get the blame as the franchise player...Welcome to NYC Melo.
Assist numbers can be misleading. Unfortunately it is difficult to express assist quality in numbers, but I reckon that his 4.2 assists would not be equal to, for example, Steve Nash's 4.2 assists.
This season is a strong opportunity for him to grow as a player.
