Owen:
“It sure would be nice if you would get behind Melo and the Knicks for the playoffs.”

Got to get behind my Nuggets too, now that we have a bet. Also, you don’t think much of Afflalo. I know you think he is really overrated defensively and a product of Melo on offense. So I thought it would be interesting for you to hear the SG’s take on him.

Shooting guard is the shortstop of basketball. The lack of talent there is pretty amazing. With Wade and Manu having been injured and Kobe having the worst season of his career, this might have been the worst year for shooting guards ever in overall productivity….

And I would say Millsap is the answer to your question about 4?s who are great on both sides of the ball. But its true, not many great defenders at PF….

He’s clearly not the product of Melo. We’ve seen him develop quite a bit this year.He plays well off penetration and in transition.

He is really overrated defensively, and clearly not the third best shooting guard in the game. But he’s a good player. He shot the ball much better with Melo on the floor because he was a good shooter getting open shots.

Got to get behind my Nuggets too, now that we have a bet. Also, you don’t think much of Afflalo. I know you think he is really overrated defensively and a product of Melo on offense. So I thought it would be interesting for you to hear the SG’s take on him.

Shooting guard is the shortstop of basketball. The lack of talent there is pretty amazing. With Wade and Manu having been injured and Kobe having the worst season of his career, this might have been the worst year for shooting guards ever in overall productivity….

And I would say Millsap is the answer to your question about 4′s who are great on both sides of the ball. But its true, not many great defenders at PF….

nicos: I’m guessing he’s leaving out Harden because of defense?The only other guy you might put in there is Paul George.It’s amazing how little talent there is at the two and three right now.At the three you’ve got 3 stars- LBJ, Durant, and Melo, two defense first guys in Deng and Iggy, and pretty much nobody else.And if Afflalo’s even in the discussion at the two that tells you how weak the position is.Seems like all the talent has migrated to the 1 and 4.

He said best 2 way starter, Ginobli is still better than all of those guys, including Johnson and Harden. Just from Simmons’ perspective, he’d probably add Ray Allen in front of Afflalo too, but Ray isn’t currently a starter. It’s a pretty weird comparison to make though.

Owen:
Well, Simmons also thinks that Afflalois “(the best two-way 2-guard right now other than Wade and Kobe)” unless it’s perhaps Joe Johnson, who he thinks is a much worse defender than Afflalo.

I’m guessing he’s leaving out Harden because of defense? The only other guy you might put in there is Paul George. It’s amazing how little talent there is at the two and three right now. At the three you’ve got 3 stars- LBJ, Durant, and Melo, two defense first guys in Deng and Iggy, and pretty much nobody else. And if Afflalo’s even in the discussion at the two that tells you how weak the position is. Seems like all the talent has migrated to the 1 and 4.

Owen:
Well, Simmons also thinks that Afflalois “(the best two-way 2-guard right now other than Wade and Kobe)” unless it’s perhaps Joe Johnson, who he thinks is a much worse defender than Afflalo.

It sure would be nice if you would get behind Melo and the Knicks for the playoffs.

6. Carmelo Anthony

Kenny Smith made the key point last night on TNT: Carmelo, LeBron and Wade came into the NBA together. Carmelo considers himself their equals. You aren’t beating Miami without one guy on the other team who says to himself, “Screw those guys, I’m as good as both of them” and carries himself accordingly. Dirk did it last June; Carmelo can absolutely do it in Round 1. Even better, he’s going to be defending LeBron (and vice versa) the entire time. When was the last time two superstars just went at it in a playoff series? What’s the ceiling here?

Could there be some Larry-Dominique or Larry-Bernard potential here, when both guys just keep upping the stakes on each other? Could it head toward an MJ-Drexler or Hakeem-Robinson direction, with one guy grabbing the upper hand and inadvertently sending the other into a career tailspin? What about an MJ-Barkley direction, with one playing as well as he can possibly play and the other (in this case, it would have to be LeBron) saying, “Watch this,” and going a level higher? I’m prepared for anything. Just know that the surest wager of all time is Carmelo Anthony showing up for Round 1 this season. He’s ready. You can see it. Over everything else, it’s the best subplot of Round 1. Hands down.

(And just wait until the MSG fans get involved …)

Indeed….

max fisher-cohen:
this is pretty funny: http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2012/04/knicks-season-that-could-have-been.html