The super Melo to Portland thread + The Big Blockbuster

And so many others are "bumping" the thread like they are giving it CPR.

 

I think I've been one of the only ones to actually use a defibrillator on this thread. I've tried to at least post Melo "news".

 

Yes, that's why I liked your earlier post.

 

pretty much what's been thought all along, it'll be New York or Portland.

 

Clutchfans already created a cheerful narrative for stories like this: "Nothing is likely to happen until training camp, or maybe the trade deadline or it might even be a buyout after the deadline. We only need him for the playoffs anyway! We're still going to be the best!"

After the trade deadline, they also expect Wade to be bought out and to sign with them for the minimum to come off the bench. It's a happy life when you're delusional.

 

This is actually reasonably plausible, if Melo decides Cleveland is cool. Crowder and a first round pick, plus some salary filler, is a proposal that the Knicks might be amenable to. I actually think that would be a poor deal for Cleveland, as they give up the two-way wing they've needed forever to get a one-dimensional ball-dominant scorer when they already have two ball-dominant scorers. Of course, I'm not the biggest Melo fan at this stage of his career, as might have become obvious.

 

Where's Carmelo?

 

In a Blazers uniform.

 

It will be fun if he ends up here. Most of the forum elated, others thinking playoffs and defense angry.

 

If that's not a clear message from the Knicks Organization to Carmelo that you are not a part of our future and to expand his list of teams, I don't know what is.

 

Just doing my part to keep the thread alive.

http://www.isportsweb.com/2017/08/23/good-can-portland-trailblazers-offense-carmelo-anthony/

 

Quoted by LuckyShot:

Just doing my part to keep the thread alive.


How good could the Portland Trail Blazers’ offense be with Carmelo Anthony?

Last season, the Portland Trail Blazers finished 8th in the Western Conference with a 41-41 record, barely making the playoffs. As of right now, they are a mediocre playoff team unable to contend for a championship. However, acquiring Carmelo Anthony could change that. Reports that Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are attempting to convince Anthony to waive his no-trade clause to come to Portland have been floating for weeks.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Lillard and McCollum have “done a good job of recruiting” Anthony, and videos have surfaced of McCollum playing pickup with Anthony in New York. The Trail Blazers are definitely a dark horse candidate to land Anthony. If they acquire Anthony, their offense would certainly be difficult to stop. In the year prior, a four-man combination of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and Noah Vonleh outscored their opponents by 10.5 points. If the Trail Blazers were able to keep these four and obtain Anthony, their offense could be historically great.

During the previous season, Anthony was better in catch & shoot situations than he was in isolation. When he was catching and shooting the ball, he averaged 6.3 points per game on 44.8% shooting, and while in isolation, he averaged 5.2 points per game on 44.2% shooting. This difference doesn’t seem to be that significant. However, on the Trail Blazers, Anthony would have more catch & shoot opportunities and better shot selection because of their multiple offensive weapons and floor spacing. He would move without the ball more often and get open more easily. For example, if Lillard or McCollum were to drive to the basket, the defense would rotate towards them, leaving Anthony either in a position to catch and shoot or give him a wide-open look. Additionally, Anthony shot 43.5% from the corner three last year, while he shot 35.9% at the three regularly. On the Knicks, Anthony was the focal point of the offense, so it was rare to see him in the corner. With the Trail Blazers, Anthony can allow Lillard or McCollum to run the offense to set him up for the corner three.

Last year, Lillard shot 44.4% overall and 37% from three per game. In catch & shoot situations, Lillards field goal percentages shot up to 46.3% overall and 42.9% from three. As the point guard, Lillard is seldom in catch & shoot situations. Because Anthony, possibly one of the greatest offensive small forwards of all time, attracts so much attention on the offensive end, the defense would sag off Lillard, who would have more leeway to catch and shoot. When running a pick & roll, Lillard averaged 11.2 points per game, which accounts for nearly 41.5% of his scoring average. He likes to attack the basket. Now imagine if Anthony started setting picks for Lillard. This would be a daunting task for even the best defenders in the league. Do you allow Lillard to drive all way to the hoop or make a play? Or do you give Anthony space to shoot the ball? A pick & roll with Lillard and Anthony would throw defenses into confusion and force them to pick their poison. In the previous season, McCollum had a 48% field goal percentage on 1441 field goal attempts, which is insanely good for a shooting guard. He was already incredibly efficient. With Anthony, McCollum would obviously take less shots but trade them for better ones. McCollum could potentially become more efficient because the presence of Anthony on the offensive end would allow McCollum to take better shots and operate more freely.

If the Trail Blazers are able to obtain Anthony, they would become a contender in the Western Conference, up there with Golden State. Their offense would be similar to if not better than that of the Rockets last season. With Anthony, the Trail Blazers offense would be nearly impossible to stop.

FTFY

 

Thanks.

 

This thread is going to look pretty stupid when he ends up staying in New York.

 

I just played a Blazers season in Double Dribble, with Melo edited in. We went 82-0, every game a blowout.

Can someone tweet this to Melo? Or to CJ, so he can pass it along.

 

Not really. I have always thought that was option 1b in this scenario. He'll just ride out this season and leave next summer.