Obviously, back in 03-04, the two big names prospects coming into the NBA were Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony. Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Chris Kaman, TJ Ford etc. were other very good players in that draft. Obviously, Lebron James has stepped his game to a whole new level since his rookie season and Dwyane Wade has quickly gone into "Jesus" stardom. Chris Bosh is also going to become one of the great big men of this era, seen as a KG-JO type of player. But what happened to Carmelo? It's like he's been a forgotten star in this great crop of players in the 03 draft. My question is, what wll it take for Carmelo to be considered better than Lebron James/ Dwyane Wade? What facets of his game does he need to improve?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting NBA MAN:</div><div class="quote_post">I just don't like him</div> Care to elaborate instead of posting something stupid? Anyways, the way I see it, from the 03-04 draft, talent wise I would rank Carmelo third, behind Lebron and Wade. I think Carmelo is a very good player. Coach K has done nothing but praise for Carmelo. He showed this season that he is one of the best clutch players in the league. He is a great offensive player, and when he gets hot he just cant miss a shot. I think the thing that is really hurting him is probably his off court issues. He hasnt exactly been the "poster child" after entering the NBA. I think when he gets his off court issues on track, he will become more popular, and he will get more props.
Melo needs to step up in the playoffs also, in 3 appearances he has yet to win as many games as lebron's one appearance. He's got pretty good teamates as well but for some reason his play dips in the post season.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Brasco:</div><div class="quote_post">Melo needs to step up in the playoffs also, in 3 appearances he has yet to win as many games as lebron's one appearance. He's got pretty good teamates as well but for some reason his play dips in the post season.</div> Wam Bam Thank you ma'am. Brasco got it all in 1 bang.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting authentiq:</div><div class="quote_post"> But what happened to Carmelo? It's like he's been a forgotten star in this great crop of players in the 03 draft. My question is, what wll it take for Carmelo to be considered better than Lebron James/ Dwyane Wade? What facets of his game does he need to improve?</div> I think he's too one-dimensional. I mean, he can score in a variety of ways, but I don't think he's above average at anything else. His passing and rebounding aren't very impressive for a SF, he doesn't demand double teams like some of the very elite players do, and he doesn't do a whole lot on the defensive end either. Carmelo is a very good player, don't get me wrong. But he's closer to Rashard Lewis than LeBron or Wade.
When you see the best swingmen type guys, they have good all-round games. Carmelo can score, but that's about all we can really pin on him, he's not a bad rebounder, but to improve his scoring he's always running out on the break for easy points. His passing is average at best, his man to man defense is average, and help defense is not very good. He needs to be more multi-dimensional to get on their level. If not he'll have to be scoring like 40 PPG, because he's not a better scorer than them either.
someone mentioned this before and i think its a fair comparion ....carmelo is exactly like glennn robinson but maybe more atheltic
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting NBA MAN:</div><div class="quote_post">I just don't like him</div> I respect you're decision, it was an opinion so don't bash him guys... My answer...No, he will not pass Lebron and Wade...I'm having a tough time deciding either Carmelo or Chris will place 3rd behind Lebron and Wade. Too early to decide.
I don't know. In my opinion, he's going to need to take over games a lot more and bring his team furthur in the playoffs. He's got a nice supporting a cast, but it's nothing like Wade's or LeBron's.
He has proven he can be as good as James and Wade in Team Usa. He is the most consistent player on the team. To me, he is real good, but just a step behind Wade and James. I think he can reach there level in a year or two. All he has to do is make his team a playoff contender and he will be in James/Wade category.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">carmelo is exactly like glennn robinson but maybe more atheltic</div> He really reminds me of Bernard King. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">He has proven he can be as good as James and Wade in Team Usa. He is the most consistent player on the team. To me, he is real good, but just a step behind Wade and James. I think he can reach there level in a year or two. All he has to do is make his team a playoff contender and he will be in James/Wade category.</div> Not really. He still needs to up his rebounding and become a better defender. He's definitely capable of doing that, but it remains to be seen his improvement over these past three years. In my opinion, the player from that class behind Lebron and Wade would be Bosh. Seriously, the guy can score, rebound, is a pretty good defender, and even though he plays powerforward, is still getting around the same number of assists as Anthony.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AznxBaller:</div><div class="quote_post"> Not really. He still needs to up his rebounding and become a better defender. He's definitely capable of doing that, but it remains to be seen his improvement over these past three years. In my opinion, the player from that class behind Lebron and Wade would be Bosh. Seriously, the guy can score, rebound, is a pretty good defender, and even though he plays powerforward, is still getting around the same number of assists as Anthony.</div> I agree with your post, but when did this happen?
^ Just assumed so, I remember a while back Raptors fans kept posting how he was a pretty decent defender. This was back around the ASG time when it was Bosh vs Webber. But true, I guess anyone looks good as a defender next to Webber.
Well compared to Webber he might be a pretty good defender, though in a one on one post matchup I'd rather have Webber guarding a guy than Bosh. I saw Webber do some nice defensive work against KG during the season, just things Bosh can't do because he can't be physical like that. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">He has proven he can be as good as James and Wade in Team Usa. He is the most consistent player on the team. To me, he is real good, but just a step behind Wade and James. I think he can reach there level in a year or two. All he has to do is make his team a playoff contender and he will be in James/Wade category.</div> As a scorer. Look at all the guys we consider great perimeter guys, they were hardly ever one dimensional on the court, they were multi-dimensional guys.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting P.A.P.:</div><div class="quote_post">I agree with your post, but when did this happen?</div>Bosh has long arms and he can block very well, he just needs to learn timing and I think he'll be a good blocker someday . Melo is a great shooter and a clutch player, but he doesn't bring something . Maybe he just doesn't entertain people as much as needed . He doesn't play good D, no rebounds, not many assists . IMO he just isn't a good leader, he needs a star next to him for accomplishments . That's my opinion .
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Umair15:</div><div class="quote_post">He has proven he can be as good as James and Wade in Team Usa. He is the most consistent player on the team. To me, he is real good, but just a step behind Wade and James. I think he can reach there level in a year or two. All he has to do is make his team a playoff contender and he will be in James/Wade category.</div> His team is a playoff team, and probably will untill his division gets better , now his rebounding is not very good as he gets less than Wade who is 4 inches shorter, and his assists are not good either.
Flow, just so you know, there's a lot more to defense than blocking. Weakside help, defending the pick and roll, man to man, all that is part of defense. Bosh, at this stage, is just not a good defensive player yet. It doesn't help him that he's a twig down on the blocks either. Aside from that, I think, for 'Melo to reach the level of a Wade or LeBron, I really think he just needs some playoff success. Cause if you really look at it, LeBron, outside of setting up his teammates, is rather one dimensional. He's still not a great defensive player by any means. Wade, while a better defender than each of them, is rather one dimensional on offense though. He still hasn't developed the most consistent jump shot in the world and relies a lot on his ability to get to the hoop to score. If we talk offensively, 'Melo probably has the most developed game. He can score in the post, he's got a good touch from the perimeter, he can hit the three, he's clutch, and he became very consistent last year. LeBron and Wade still have their inconsistencies with shooting the ball. So, while I still think Wade and LeBron are ahead of him, it's not because of their game, it's because of their success in the playoffs. LeBron has had some modest success thus far while Wade has already won a title and went to the ECF before even doing that. All 'Melo has done is three first round eliminations. He needs to learn how to win in the playoffs before he reaches those two guys' level.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Aside from that, I think, for 'Melo to reach the level of a Wade or LeBron, I really think he just needs some playoff success. Cause if you really look at it, LeBron, outside of setting up his teammates, is rather one dimensional. He's still not a great defensive player by any means. Wade, while a better defender than each of them, is rather one dimensional on offense though. He still hasn't developed the most consistent jump shot in the world and relies a lot on his ability to get to the hoop to score. If we talk offensively, 'Melo probably has the most developed game. He can score in the post, he's got a good touch from the perimeter, he can hit the three, he's clutch, and he became very consistent last year. LeBron and Wade still have their inconsistencies with shooting the ball. </div> All the ways that you described how Anthony scores, if you think about it, Lebron pretty much does the same, aside from maybe scoring from the post. Lebron actually shoots the three pointer better than Anthony, is clutch as well, and is a very consistent player. The only thing he lacks is a post game, but nonetheless he still bulldozes his way through into the lane to score on freak athleticism. And like you said, he's certainly setting up his teammates better than Anthony. And although by no means is Lebron a good defender, he's still slightly better than Anthony in that department. When you talk about Wade, its true he doesn't have the widest array of offensive moves, but he does rebound just as well as Anthony (considering he's a guard and four inches shorter), have more assists, and like you said, is a better defender. However, I will admit, in my opinion, his stock is inflated due to his playoff success, while Anthony really has none.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Aside from that, I think, for 'Melo to reach the level of a Wade or LeBron, I really think he just needs some playoff success. Cause if you really look at it, LeBron, outside of setting up his teammates, is rather one dimensional. He's still not a great defensive player by any means. Wade, while a better defender than each of them, is rather one dimensional on offense though. He still hasn't developed the most consistent jump shot in the world and relies a lot on his ability to get to the hoop to score. If we talk offensively, 'Melo probably has the most developed game. He can score in the post, he's got a good touch from the perimeter, he can hit the three, he's clutch, and he became very consistent last year. LeBron and Wade still have their inconsistencies with shooting the ball. </div> I can agree that Melo is the best post scorer, but Melo isn't that good a three point shooter. Yea he can hit it, but Denver needed three point shooting last season, and he shot a miserable 24.3% on about 2 attempts a game. Also his mid-range game isn't much more advanced than Wade's. Carmelo only hits about 1% higher of his jumpshots than Wade, and takes less jumpers.
