Odd Twist

I think Atlanta deserves Carmelo. As I have commented in the past, Carmelo is a pure stat stuffer who is one of the most overrated players in basketball. A pouty player with a low basketball IQ. Yesterday’s game 2 vs the New York Knicks was a perfect example of everything I have been saying. The guy was scoring with 2 and 3 people covering him but when push came to shove in the last minute of the game, he was passing the ball off to Jeffries. I do not think you would ever see Kobe do that. Although lately, I think you probably would see LeBron do that since he is now 2nd fiddle to Wade. Then to top it off, he basically said he was too tired to chase West with 4 seconds left to give them a real chance to tie it up. I am not sure why West did not keep going towards his own hoop because he did not need to clear the half court line. Read the full story

Denver Nuggets sends Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks

As you know, I think Carmelo Anthony is one of the most overrated players in the NBA plus I think he is a drama queen. I find it laughable, that if the rumor is true that Isiah Thomas orchestrated the trade, that an owner would still rely on a person who was notorious for overpaying for players who thought they were better than they actually were. So New York gave up their whole team except for Amare Stoudamire. First off, I think this is an amazing tandem but, I think they are both second in command types. What I mean is that they are both Pippens with no Jordan, they are both Gausols with no Kobe, they are both LeBron James with no Dwyane Wade (a quick swipe at LBJ never hurts). Plus both are very childish volatile types who will quit when the going gets rough. The wildcard is Chauncey Billups who, despite his declining play, is a clutch player with a championship. Now for most smart players, I think Chauncey would serve as a mentor and a calming influence and clubhouse leader but I do not think Carmelo would defer to an older guy when Carmelo thinks so highly of himself. So when the going gets rough,I anticipate a lot of complaining and magnify that with a New York media frenzy and I think we have a recipe for disaster. Carmelo will get his money, which is his primary concern, and the New York Knicks will make the playoffs but they will not beat any of the top 3 teams in the East. They will, however, blame somebody or something else for their losing. I am not sure why New York did not just wait until the end of the season and get him for free, it does not make much sense to me but Isiah never did nor has Dolan. Read the full story

     The factors that go into this are a combination of public perception, salary, and actual play. So, obviously if a player thinks they are great, the public thinks they are great, and they really are not that good, but they only play for the veteran’s minimum then they are NOT overrated since they play for a low pay.Now take the opposite extreme of a player who nobody thinks is great, the player probably realizes he is not very good, and he makes around 20 million per year. This player is also not overrated. I tried not to penalize someone based on their injury status or history because that would cover too many people and really is not a reflect of talent i.e. Speedy Claxton

     5. Kevin Garnett: Definitely a talented player, I cannot deny that. Probably the most talented of this group. But keep in mind he is the highest paid player in the NBA and makes about $25 million per year. I would think a $25 million per year guy would be the floor leader and the clutch guy on the team but nope, that award goes to Pierce. He is scared to shoot in the 4th and will over pass. Just take a look at how he could only lead his team so far in Minnesota, then faked injury (up for debate) so he could force the owner into trading him to a “contender”, and then was magically healed once traded. I loose respect for all supposed stars who want to be traded to a contender. First off, if you are a star, you should make your team a contender. Secondly, if you didn’t demand so much money, maybe the team could get some stars to play around you.

     4. Chris Bosh: I feel sorry for whoever signs him to his upcoming max contract. It will be one of the biggest wastes of money that summer. There is not much to say about Bosh. He cannot lead a team, that much is obvious. He is not a true big man but more of a Jermaine O’Neal type who can only find a true home if he can play along a star.

     3. Vince Carter: He could be number one on this list. He perhaps brings the largest crowds to the arenas and definitely is one of the more athletic players in the league and at times he can really take over but he has show in Canada and said as much, that he does not always play hard. It did not really need to be said since it was obvious if you ever watch him play. The team he was on a couple years ago in New Jersey was top notch but he is also a guy who needs to play second fiddle. One good gauge to see if a person is second fiddler is by looking at players who really light it up and are clutch against much weaker opponents but who always seem to just miss when playing good opponents. Meet Mr. Carter.

     2. Shawn Marion: The ultimate stat stuffer. He gets a few boards, a few points, a few assists. What he doesn’t do is make a difference. He goes largely unnoticed and is probably not worth more than about $12 million a year. To make as much as Pierce and Dirk, its a shame this is allowed because I would take 1/2 of either one for all of Shawn. There is a reason teams are willing to trade him.

     1. Carmelo Anthony: The worst part about Carmelo is that he talks about himself interchanging himself with LeBron. The only thing they have in common is being in the same draft. Carmelo is currently not the best player on his team (that would be Chauncey Billups), not the most cerebral (Chauncey again), and not the most clutch (I’ll let you guess on this one). He is what I call a stat stuffer. His stats are always good but he needs a leader on the team to show him what to do and someone to take over at the end. Yeah I know he made a game winning shot against Dallas but I think (and I realize this is just a thought) that he thought they were going to blow the whistle which makes that shot 100x easier. In addition, his baby attitude of wining when he gets pulled, and a couple years ago, whining when he was supposed to go back in. He apologized after his mother told him to. Then we will never forget his backpedaling against a midget in a fight after a sucker punch. Add to that a cheap shot on Ginobili when they were about to lose the series in the first round and you have a spoiled baby. For all his talk and bravado, he is what I call a 2nd tier star. These are guys who get max contracts but need to play second fiddle on a team to succeed. He tops the list.

Carmelo & Lebron

Carmelo Anthony thinks he is one of the NBA elite. He often talks about himself and LeBron James as if they are equals in terms of talent. I often also hear the media talk about Carmelo as if he is trully one of the NBA elite.

Here is what I see:

I give him one big positive. He has shown he can win at some level. He lead Syracuse to a national championship in his rookie and only season there. That was impressive. Since then, he has shown to be a diva that lacks the killer instinct who is more worried about creating an impression than letting his play create it. Read the full story