<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>MIAMI — Who Carmelo Anthony is as an NBA player — who he should be and where he is going — may always be one of the most debated topics surrounding the Nuggets. No matter where anyone thinks Anthony stands, those in and out of the organization this season say they have seen a change in how he approaches basketball. It has not only benefited the Nuggets, but put an added polish on Anthony's game. He is regarded as being solely concerned with scoring, but that is changing. "This year, he understands it's a team concept, and it takes all of us to win ballgames," center Marcus Camby said. "He's buying into the team system when easily he can go out there and have nights like he did against Washington (career- high 49 points Friday)." And that wasn't always the case. Scoring was Anthony's main concern and to some extent it still is. But the truth of the statistics is he has become a harder-working, more efficient, more-willing-to-share player. "Statistically, he's shooting, I don't know if it's a career- high field-goal percentage, but he's improved there," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "His defense and decisions and rebounding are definitely a plus." Compared with last season, Anthony is playing slightly fewer minutes (38.2-37.0), yet has a slightly better shooting percentage (47.6-47.7) and 3-point shooting percentage (26.8-32.0), is averaging more rebounds (6.0-7.2) and has fewer points per game (28.9-26.2). "I think people are really realizing that he's one of the best players in the game today, especially one of the best scorers in our league," Cleveland forward LeBron James said. Asked about his on-court performance, Anthony said: "I love it. We have a good record, and I don't have to average 30 points. I can try to get eight, 10 rebounds a night and make everybody else better. "I know I can score the basketball. I can score at any given time on the court. But just going out there and doing the little things, playing defense, rebounding, passing — that's what's going to count." Perhaps most important, he is taking fewer shots to get similar numbers. A year ago, Anthony averaged 22.3 shots per game or 1,828 for the season. His current average of 20.1 projects to 1,648 for the season. He has 13 double-doubles, 12 in his past 24 games. His 2.5 offensive rebounds per game is the highest average of his career. "We have a lot of talent on this team," Anthony said. "It's going to be some nights where I shoot a lot; it's going to be some nights where I don't shoot a lot. As long as we win the game, that's all I care about." The Nuggets' 31-19 record is the third-best through 50 games in the team's NBA history and its best start in 20 seasons. Anthony's turnabout has been one reason. On rebounding, Anthony said he was inspired by Camby, the league's second-leading rebounder (14.4). "He sees me hitting the glass hard, and sometimes we're down there actually fighting for rebounds," Camby said. "He likes to complain that I steal a lot of his rebounds. But I don't complain when he takes shots, so it balances out." Still, Karl notes there is still room for improvement. "My probably only negative feeling for Melo is I think he could be a creator of the game and just not a scorer of the game," Karl said. "That's where I think I'd like to see him go, have more games where he gets 10 assists, 10 rebounds and 15 points. "I think in big-time playoff games and situations, him becoming a creator is going to be more and more important and more valuable for us."</div> Source: Denver Post
Sorry for being kind of a grinch, but Melo's shooting percentage is exactly the same this year as last year. And his extra rebound per game is due to Reggie Evan's departure to the 76'ers. His 3-point shooting percentage is up, but he has not been coached on the need for him to take and make a few more 3-point shots, or else the Nuggets are going to be buried with threes in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the whole concept of the valuable three point shot, which is that you get a bonus point, and it is not as well defended as other types of shots, and that success with it generally opens up lanes to the hoop, has escaped the Nuggets' coaches.
I think melo is still strictly a scorer, and hes big so he can get some rebounds. He could be on the same level as LeBron i think, if he got maybe 4 or 5 more assists per game, and a steal or 2. He just needs to keep learning and growing as a player.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Answer_AI03 @ Feb 12 2008, 03:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think melo is still strictly a scorer, and hes big so he can get some rebounds. He could be on the same level as LeBron i think, if he got maybe 4 or 5 more assists per game, and a steal or 2. He just needs to keep learning and growing as a player.</div> He could potentially pass Lebron if he learns to play some damn defense. Forget the extra assists, and the stats all together. If he could become the type of player who would do anything for a win, he might be just a level below Kobe.
Melo doesn't believe in trying to win games by himself and never will. The Nuggets would never win a Championship even if Melo was as good as anyone imagines he could be, and/or even if he tried to win games by himself. That doesn't work and Melo knows it doesn't work. Top players are always going to be who they are and not what coaches and fans wish they would be. They change their style very little from year to year, and changes that do occur are exaggerated in the media.
