This topic might cause some controversy because certain NBA fans see Carmelo Anthony a certain way. I for one was itching for the Bulls to make the deal when Melo wanted so badly out of Denver, however, after watching him a little more closely, I found out that he was not a good fit for the Bulls and I’ve actually started to feel as though he is one of the more over-rated players, if not the most over-rated player in the game today.
Lets start with his college career, which was impressive in itself the way he was able to manipulate the college game and literally score at will. All of us sports fans saw the way college basketball was headed for a change now that a freshman, 18 years old, could dominate the nation and lead a team all the way to the National Championship. The many different and creative ways that Melo is able to score, truly at first glance, make you think SUPERSTAR. However, there is more than one component to this game we love so much. At no fault to Jim Beiheim because Syracuse plays ZONE DEFENSE, which was always my favorite type of defense because I loved to shoot and play offense and didn’t care much for DEFENSE unless it was going to benefit me on the offensive end. This is where Melo and I strongly agree. That type of defense allowed him to be a little, “lazy,” on defense and truly dedicate himself to scoring.
This article will show the one major flaw in Carmelo’s game that pushes him more toward the ALL-STAR ranks based on the way the NBA game is played today.
One major thing that has lacked in the NBA and may be reason why the NBA doesn’t have as strong a following during the regular season compared to the playoffs can be summed up in one simple word, DEFENSE. Solely my opinion here, but in order to be a superstar in this league, you must play both sides of the basketball at a much higher level than the rest of the league.
There are several players who are able to do this; Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, just to name a few.
The statistics listed below are a comparison of the top NBA players in the league on both offense and defense. Notice a recurring theme of roughly 7 or 8 names, and Melo isn’t one of them.
Stats used:
Steals/Fouls
Blocks/Fouls
Points Per 48 Minutes
These 3 stats determine your ability to play defense without fouling and your ability to score efficiently, which in MY OPINION are the 3 most important stats in the NBA.
Steal/Foul Ratio
Fun Fact:
Carmelo Anthony didn’t register on either of these charts until it was sorted by SF’s alone.
The papers and analysts have always criticized his effort on the defensive end but why shouldn’t that cost him the make believe rank of SUPERSTAR?
Carmelo didn’t register in the top 10,15, or even 20 of any of these 3 stats.
SUPERSTAR??????
You be the judge.
What happened to the days of your best player guarding their best player? When the Heat play the Knicks, LeBron guards Melo, on the other end, LeBron is D-ed up by none other than IMAN SHUMPERT???
Lack luster Carmelo Anthony, your offensive should truly be ashamed of your defense.
Your offense is like a father watching his son, your defense, asks for a pair of roller blades, what a disgrace.
ACLARK signing off again. RockChalk, best of luck DRose with the knee, can’t wait to see you running fast out there again.
So what do you think? SUPERSTAR or over-glorified ALL-STAR?
