Ted Nelson: Interesting. I still doubt he can make that his game. Right now it seems like a marginal part of his game. I agree that it’s a whole lot about shot selection with him… but as an 8 year NBA vet what are the chances he suddenly changes his stripes and radically alters his game?

Hey Ted. Welcome back.
I think you are right to be concerned about Melo, but I had a few thoughts.
1. Melo actually has a pretty beautiful shot form-wise. I think his ability to score under pressure is an added bonus, but he’s been forced into the role because he’s never played on teams that mode the ball like the Knicks. His gift is his curse.
2. Because his shot is so solid, I suspect getting the ball in one on one situations or spot up situations is going to vastly improve his efficiency.
3. Given the amount of triple teams he’s faced this year, Melo has actually shot pretty well. His assists are up as well.
4. One of Melo’s issues has been his trust in the guys around him. That issue probably is gone. The writing is on the wall. His reputation now hangs in the balance, as respected people around the NBA, excluding Kobe, the biggest ball hog in the game, are saying he needs to play within the offense and not stop ball flow. I think this is what Frank meant by saying he’s not dumb. He can become a high TS% high eFG% scorer in this offense and help lead this team to a championship, and keep his body from the pounding he’s received to date at the same time.
The offense has been placed in Lin’s hands. D’Antoni didn’t call a time out last night, leaving the generalship tqo Lin. Lin waved off a pick from one of the greatest pick setters in the game last night, and He buried a three. Chandler wanted a shot at a rebound, but having gotten one O board, adds we’re against us getting another board, which means the dinos

Gideon Zaga: I don’t think Melo has as much attraction to ORL because of the hometown connection and they’ll want a big man in return.

And I’d certainly sell high on Lin if it meant landing one of the handful of legitimate franchise players in the league.

I would also trade Lin at a price. I don’t really have a problem with a Lin-Amare for Howard deal. Howard-Melo might contend with some pieces around them. If you moved D’Antoni for another coach I might just keep Chandler next to Howard and have a really sick defense while aiming for a solid offense hampered a little by crowding in the paint.

I’m not saying to trade Melo to Orlando. I’m just saying to consider trading him. Who knows if Orlando is interested in Lin-Amare? (I do think there’s about as good of a chance Orlando is interested in Melo as Amare… they don’t have too much around Howard and might want a “superstar” who can get his own shot and be “built around.”)

I don’t think Tyson will keep up a .736 TS% even for another month, but at 29 this season and signed for 3 more years after… I think he can remain productive.

Ted Nelson:

Or… the Knicks could trade Melo. Why do they have to “build around” Melo, but you’re all for trading their best scorer (Amare) and their emerging PG (Lin)?

I don’t think Melo has as much attraction to ORL because of the hometown connection and they’ll want a big man in return.

And I’d certainly sell high on Lin if it meant landing one of the handful of legitimate franchise players in the league. I love Chandler too, and I think he’s going to get better with Baron Davis (his longtime buddy from Compton), but I also don’t think he can keep this up for his whole contract.

rururuland2: People who don’t think Carmelo can’t or wont adapt in this offense with Lin, either don’t remember what he did in his first three and a half years in the league, or never watched him on Team USA in MDA’s offense with playmakers around him.

There’s no need for the condescending tone. You can pretend you are the only one who knows anything about basketball, but that doesn’t make it true. It is not predestined that Melo can only increase his TS% to .600 or remain in the .550 range with the great Lin… we’ll have to wait and see.

Melo’s first four years in the league his TS% never topped .563. And the first three of those years Andre Miller was a Nugget all season. A few months of data is a small sample that doesn’t prove much. “His best few months he was efficient” is a weak argument to prove how he will adapt to a new teammate.

Chauncey Billups is also a good passer. He had mid-to-high 30 ast-rate seasons in Detroit. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a “true PG” in Billups, it was the way the offense was run. If Melo really had a problem with the offense being run through him rather than Billups for so long… why didn’t he say something to Karl or Billups? I’m not saying Melo isn’t a very good player… I’m saying he has not been a great player to date. Maybe that suddenly changes in his 9th season, it’s just not likely.

jon abbey: no one is arguing otherwise, but we don’t have any of those four guys, so the goal now needs to be to improve the rest of the team around what we have.

Or… the Knicks could trade Melo. Why do they have to “build around” Melo, but you’re all for trading their best scorer (Amare) and their emerging PG (Lin)?