is Melo the biggest waste of talent?

[AirBonner]

He came into the league with all the right tools to be a BETTER version of Paul Pierce. Unfortunately he has no drive to better himself.

[Real14]

I will answer that in May,June 2017.

[BigKAT]

Vince Carter.

[AirBonner]

I will answer that in May,June 2017.
You mean January. When they will already 15 games out of 8th seed :lol

[BigKAT]

You mean January. When they will already 15 games out of 8th seed :lol


http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/apply-cold-water-to-the-burned-area.jpeg

[TheWinningFam]

You mean January. When they will already 15 games out of 8th seed :lol
:roll: :roll: :roll:

[Kyle2Demar]

You mean January. When they will already 15 games out of 8th seed :lol
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[bizil]

He came into the league with all the right tools to be a BETTER version of Paul Pierce. Unfortunately he has no drive to better himself.

Scoring and rebounding wise, Melo exceeded Pierce. In terms of positional versatility, Melo could play the PF in addition to playing the wing. But Pierce was ALWAYS going to be a better defender and passer. So while Pierce was the better all around player, I think Melo was the better player peak wise. I never expected Melo to have that blend of great scoring AND great all around ability in one. But a SF who can give me 28-30 points and 8 boards a night is HOF caliber.

So Melo got the most out of his ability in my opinion. It wasn't in the cards for him to be a great defender or passer. Guys like a JR Rider, Roy Tarpley, Stanley Roberts, Michael Beasley etc. would be cases that could be considered wastes of talents. Some of these kind of guys let drugs, partying, or laziness stop them from greatest heights. NONE of those guys made an All Star team.

[LostCause]

So Melo got the most out of his ability in my opinion. It wasn't in the cards for him to be a great defender or passer. Guys like a JR Rider, Roy Tarpley, Stanley Roberts, Michael Beasley etc. would be cases that could be considered wastes of talents. Some of these kind of guys let drugs, partying, or laziness stop them from greatest heights. NONE of those guys made an All Star team.

This. Melo is obviously going to be a hall of famer. Not sure how he could remotely be considered the "biggest" waste of talent

[bizil]

This. Melo is obviously going to be a hall of famer. Not sure how he could remotely be considered the "biggest" waste of talent

I agree! I think people JUST NEED to admit that a player like Melo ISN'T their cup of tea. They shouldn't say he's a waste of talent BECAUSE he's not the kind of player they rally behind or like.

BUT at the same time those people ALSO need to acknowledge that Melo was an HOF caliber player. And one of the greatest scorers of all time! Back in the day, Nique used to catch similar heat in a lot of ways.

[pastis]

well, not every top 5 draft prospect has the ability to become a top 25 player of all time.

[Nilocon165]

You mean January. When they will already 15 games out of 8th seed :lol
:roll: :roll: Still laughing at this

[Lebronxrings]

You mean January. When they will already 15 games out of 8th seed :lol
:roll: :roll: :roll:

[raprap]

If he was put in the right position, there's no doubt he would've won a ring. Sucks he didn't. Hey atleast he made money and is pretty accomplished in the league. Future HoF aswell.

[CelticBaller]

You mean January. When they will already 15 games out of 8th seed :lol
:roll:

[AintNoSunshine]

What is between the ears also counts. Talent is not only your physical attributes.

[Kool Boy]

Melo is not a waste, he is a top 15 player right now, and a top 5 player at his peak. Hardly a waste unless you expected him to be one of the greatest of all time.

[KiiiiNG]

He's the perfect example of someone who does the bare minimum. Had he worked his ass off like a LeBron or KD... he'd probably have a couple MVP's by now. You're right, he probably is the biggest waste of size/talent. Bynum too.

[CuhGetsBucks]

Why do you guys speak of Melo on this forum like he's Rudy Gay or OJ Mayo or something? Who's been in Melo's life to say he doesn't work hard? We saw him come into the season slimmed down and toned up, the guy works. Just every superstar doesn't have a roster to fit them.

How do mf's like yall, cry and whine when KD joins the warriors or a "superteam" is formed by stars coming together. But complain when a star like Melo avoids trying to join a superteam and stays on a team that's incapable of winning? :biggums:

Stop picking and choosing, you can't get it both ways,

[Smoke117]

What is between the ears also counts. Talent is not only your physical attributes.

This...I still remember when he was drafted and the Nuggets coaches were showing him videos of Scottie on defense to teach him how to play...it obviously didn't take. The fact of the matter is...Carmelo accomplished exactly what he set out to: Be a great scorer. Let's face it...that's all that really mattered to him when it came to working on his game...especially in his Nuggets days. He'll never be considered at the top of the heap as far as perimeter players go because of glaring weaknesses as far as defense and playmaking goes. When he retires...people will care about him as much as they cared about Alex English and Dominique Wilkins after they were retired...ie...not at all.

He's also never come close to being a player that makes others better and raises up their games. You don't need to be a top 10 player to do that either. It also doesn't help that while he is a very good to great scorer...he's also a ball stopper who bogs the offense down.

[bizil]

Many fans got spoiled by the likes of MJ, Magic, Bird, Kobe, and Bron. BECAUSE all of those guys were great scorers AND great all around players in one. Even a pass first PG like Magic could dominate a game scoring whenever he wanted. So OF COURSE those kind of icons should be celebrated!

But a guy like Melo could score AND rebound on their level or damn close. When it comes to defense and passing, some guys AREN'T meant to be elite in those areas. It's not a matter of laziness all the time. Some guys don't have the motor to dominate scoring and defensively at the same time. And some guys just don't have the instincts to be a great defender. And to be a great passer, some guys just don't have the vision or instincts to be a great passer.

Men lie, women lie, NUMBERS DON'T!! By looking at Melo's numbers, it's easy to see he's been a great scorer and very good-great rebounder. If Melo isn't the kind of player u are a fan of THEN FINE! But if u are gonna DISREGARD what he's done in his career, then u aren't fit to be a student of the game FLAT OUT!!!

People gotta learn to appreciate what a player brings to the table EVEN IF they aren't a fan of the player. To call a player of Melo's caliber a waste of talent is FLAT OUT HATING!!! His career is too decorated and HOF caliber for that kind of statement.

[LostCause]

Many fans got spoiled by the likes of MJ, Magic, Bird, Kobe, and Bron. BECAUSE all of those guys were great scorers AND great all around players in one. Even a pass first PG like Magic could dominate a game scoring whenever he wanted. So OF COURSE those kind of icons should be celebrated!

But a guy like Melo could score AND rebound on their level or damn close. When it comes to defense and passing, some guys AREN'T meant to be elite in those areas. It's not a matter of laziness all the time. Some guys don't have the motor to dominate scoring and defensively at the same time. And some guys just don't have the instincts to be a great defender. And to be a great passer, some guys just don't have the vision or instincts to be a great passer.

Men lie, women lie, NUMBERS DON'T!! By looking at Melo's numbers, it's easy to see he's been a great scorer and very good-great rebounder. If Melo isn't the kind of player u are a fan of THEN FINE! But if u are gonna DISREGARD what he's done in his career, then u aren't fit to be a student of the game FLAT OUT!!!

People gotta learn to appreciate what a player brings to the table EVEN IF they aren't a fan of the player. To call a player of Melo's caliber a waste of talent is FLAT OUT HATING!!! His career is too decorated and HOF caliber for that kind of statement.

:bowdown: :applause:

[bizil]

It's also interesting how scoring excellence ONLY seems to catch heat in basketball!! LOL They will diss guys like Nique and Melo and say they don't pass enough!! They will say AI is a chucker!!! BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS all three are great scorers! Nique and Melo didn't play on teams CONSISTENTLY enough to win a ring. So WHY DON'T THEIR teammates get knocked FOR NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH!! If those guys had better teammates in their careers, they wouldn't have had to put up as many shots.

When Melo got Billups on the squad, they made the WCF! Nique had Bird and Boston on the ropes BIG TIME! And pushed them to a game 7 in ECSF. Later in Nique's career, he got traded when the Hawks were #1 in the East. SO PEOPLE need to look at ALL THE FACTORS before knocking HOF caliber players.

The Lakers could have EASILY chose Nique over Worthy. It was debated in the front office. The same situation went for the Pistons NOT CHOOSING Melo! If those teams chose Nique and Melo, their careers would be looked at TOTALLY different!

[Fire Colangelo]

Multiple all star, multiple olympic gold medalist = biggest waste of talent?

Jesus.

[Lebron23]

Multiple all star, multiple olympic gold medalist = biggest waste of talent?

Jesus.


This

Only in this forum.

[tpols]

When he retires...people will care about him as much as they cared about Alex English and Dominique Wilkins after they were retired...ie...not at all..

so where does pippen fit on that scale ? Dominque had some epic playoff performances.. your disdain for scorers and hipster like backing of all around types is obnoxious at best.. get a new gig, smoke.

[Smoke117]

so where does pippen fit on that scale ? Dominque had some epic playoff performances.. your disdain for scorers and hipster like backing of all around types is obnoxious at best.. get a new gig, smoke.

rent free :lol

[bizil]

so where does pippen fit on that scale ? Dominque had some epic playoff performances.. your disdain for scorers and hipster like backing of all around types is obnoxious at best.. get a new gig, smoke.


I agree! The best all around player ISN'T the better player in all cases. Lamar Odom was a better ALL AROUND PLAYER than Dirk. But who was the better player? EASILY DIRK!! Andre Iggy was better ALL AROUND than a Melo. But Melo was CLEARLY the better player. In the 80's Paul Pressey was a better all around player than Nique. BUT Nique was OBVIOUSLY the better player!

[ImKobe]

Paul Pierce didn't amount to shyt either until he was fortunate enough to be on a franchise that got him Ray Allen and KG

And for what it's worth, he was a better version of PP. PP best season was 27/7/5 47/35/77 shooting, Melo averaged 29/6/4 on 49% shooting at age 22

he had top 20 all-time type talent as a scorer but was unfortunate to play on some terrible ass teams, was drafted to the wrong franchise.

[CTbasketball92]

So much of the perception of Melo is based on circumstance. Had he been on the celtics big three instead of pierce, he'd still have a chip. If he'd been on the spurs or other teams with players that actually complemented his skills, he'd prob. have won a chip.

If 27 year old melo had been on the cavs instead of Kyrie, there's a very good chance they could still have won the chip this year. One thing that is sort of damning for me looking at melo is his playoff FG%. 42% ... is just kind of subpar tbh. Either way, top 50-60 player ever is still great.

[G-train]

He came into the league with all the right tools to be a BETTER version of Paul Pierce. Unfortunately he has no drive to better himself.

Melo is one of the best scorers getting around, so he's going pretty good.

I just can't forget him weakass punching that guy, then running away.

[G-train]

Paul Pierce didn't amount to shyt either until he was fortunate enough to be on a franchise that got him Ray Allen and KG

And for what it's worth, he was a better version of PP. PP best season was 27/7/5 47/35/77 shooting, Melo averaged 29/6/4 on 49% shooting at age 22

he had top 20 all-time type talent as a scorer but was unfortunate to play on some terrible ass teams, was drafted to the wrong franchise.

Melo 22 was not better than prime Pierce, bit more to it than basic stats.

I would say he was drafted to the right team, and was traded to the wrong team.

[ILLsmak]

This. Melo is obviously going to be a hall of famer. Not sure how he could remotely be considered the "biggest" waste of talent

He's one of the saddest cases, for sure. It sucks seeing great players rot away. I think Melo could have won a ring or two if he was in a different situation. I mean, imagine if he got drafted to DET he'd be good to go.

He could have also signed with a team other than NY...

either way, I know everyone sees him as a career loser, but he's not... in my heart.

Edit: Honestly tho I would have loved to see Melo at the 4 on high scoring team with a fast break PG.

-Smak

[jrong]

What's remarkable is that he has spent so much of his basketball life in a very close orbit to guys like LeBron, Wade and CP. So how did their example not rub off on him?

Those guys appear to be three of Melo's best friends in the world, and he has to be aware that they are generally regarded as better players than he is. So how did he not look at their games and notice that their approach is quite different than his?

[ClipperRevival]

So much of the perception of Melo is based on circumstance. Had he been on the celtics big three instead of pierce, he'd still have a chip. If he'd been on the spurs or other teams with players that actually complemented his skills, he'd prob. have won a chip.

If 27 year old melo had been on the cavs instead of Kyrie, there's a very good chance they could still have won the chip this year. One thing that is sort of damning for me looking at melo is his playoff FG%. 42% ... is just kind of subpar tbh. Either way, top 50-60 player ever is still great.

I don't know about that. Pierce is a noticeably better playmaker and defender, both elements which were big in helping them win in 2008. And while I give Melo the edge in scoring, peak Pierce wasn't THAT far behind.

I've just never been a big fan of Melo or his game. It was anti-optimal bball. The type of ball that coaches would frown upon.

[HylianNightmare]

Damn Detroit

[ClipperRevival]

It's also interesting how scoring excellence ONLY seems to catch heat in basketball!! LOL They will diss guys like Nique and Melo and say they don't pass enough!! They will say AI is a chucker!!! BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS all three are great scorers! Nique and Melo didn't play on teams CONSISTENTLY enough to win a ring. So WHY DON'T THEIR teammates get knocked FOR NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH!! If those guys had better teammates in their careers, they wouldn't have had to put up as many shots.

When Melo got Billups on the squad, they made the WCF! Nique had Bird and Boston on the ropes BIG TIME! And pushed them to a game 7 in ECSF. Later in Nique's career, he got traded when the Hawks were #1 in the East. SO PEOPLE need to look at ALL THE FACTORS before knocking HOF caliber players.

The Lakers could have EASILY chose Nique over Worthy. It was debated in the front office. The same situation went for the Pistons NOT CHOOSING Melo! If those teams chose Nique and Melo, their careers would be looked at TOTALLY different!

Come on man, that's layman thinking. All points are not the same. You can get yours at the EXPENSE of the offense or within the FLOW of the offense. Two huge differences. Melo's iso heavy game was a flow killer.

Sometimes a guy can attempt 30 shots in a game and not be ball hogging because most of his shots came within the flow while another guy who attempted only 18 shots could be considered a ball hog because he took his at the expense of the flow. It's all about proper context.

Bball is a game that is very dependent on flow and rhythm. True superstars not only get theirs, but can attract the extra attention and set guys up. Melo wasn't one of them. Being a great scorer is not the same as being a true superstar who can elevate the level of his teammates.

[ClipperRevival]

This...I still remember when he was drafted and the Nuggets coaches were showing him videos of Scottie on defense to teach him how to play...it obviously didn't take. The fact of the matter is...Carmelo accomplished exactly what he set out to: Be a great scorer. Let's face it...that's all that really mattered to him when it came to working on his game...especially in his Nuggets days. He'll never be considered at the top of the heap as far as perimeter players go because of glaring weaknesses as far as defense and playmaking goes. When he retires...people will care about him as much as they cared about Alex English and Dominique Wilkins after they were retired...ie...not at all.

He's also never come close to being a player that makes others better and raises up their games. You don't need to be a top 10 player to do that either. It also doesn't help that while he is a very good to great scorer...he's also a ball stopper who bogs the offense down.

This.

[hiphopfan777]

Lebron james. He gets easy dunks and layups because of his football built body. Never developed a game outside of elbowing defenders and attackong basket

[hiphopfan777]

Never teamed up with other su0erstars or got an opponent suspened

[Nick Young]

He came into the league with all the right tools to be a BETTER version of Paul Pierce. Unfortunately he has no drive to better himself.
Melo's game is fine.

He has always been surrounded by shitty teammates and never really been on a contending roster. Melo used to have the will of fire but I think he lost it a few years ago. He resigned himself to the fact that they will never build a contender around him.

Melo still is clutch, and still is elite offensively. He hasn't been giving his all because his teammates are shit. It is a bad attitude but you can't blame him. Remember, this guy had to spend his early career playing on the same team as Allen "no passing" Iverson.


Can you imagine a team where AI and Melo shared the court? IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. SOME GM THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PUT MELO ON THE SAME TEAM AS AI.


Carmelo is a victim of playing for shitty GMs and organizations.

[Red Flame]

I could see your point for maybe underachieving but waste? the man is a perennial allstar , Ncaa national champ as a freshman, 3x olympic gold medalist plus hes made multiple all-nba teams.........yall distrepectful
:coleman:

[Kblaze8855]

Plenty of people with Melo level talent arent remembered at all. Nobody gives a shit about Derrick Coleman. Hell Rasheed Wallace. Name anyone in basketball history who was a greater low post threat, outside threat, and defensive player than Rasheed. You may come up with people...you wont come up with many. What did he do with it exactly? He won a ring yes....with a willingly reduced role. He wont be getting many HOF votes. Ralph Sampson was 7'3'' ish going coast to coast, hitting pullup jumpers, sky hooks, and dunking from the FT line easily.

Melo is hardly the biggest talent not to take the league over.

[bizil]

Come on man, that's layman thinking. All points are not the same. You can get yours at the EXPENSE of the offense or within the FLOW of the offense. Two huge differences. Melo's iso heavy game was a flow killer.

Sometimes a guy can attempt 30 shots in a game and not be ball hogging because most of his shots came within the flow while another guy who attempted only 18 shots could be considered a ball hog because he took his at the expense of the flow. It's all about proper context.

Bball is a game that is very dependent on flow and rhythm. True superstars not only get theirs, but can attract the extra attention and set guys up. Melo wasn't one of them. Being a great scorer is not the same as being a true superstar who can elevate the level of his teammates.

I see I'm over your head!!! I'm talking about how people see Melo as a big waste of talent!!! LMAO!!! I'm talking about when people take it that far. And ONCE AGAIN, Melo is going to the HOF! If you don't like his style of scoring, that's your opinion. But at the same token, Melo HAS MADE the WCF! He finished third in MVP voting when the Knicks had that very good season. So when he has the RIGHT TEAM AROUND HIM, he does some great things.

WHEN ARE THE TEAMMATES of some of these great scorers gonna catch some heat?? When are the coaches who coach some of these great scorers gonna catch some heat??

And guys like a Bron for example have world class PG IQ TO GO WITH his great scoring. Guys like a MJ could play PG, SG, and SF! So u can't expect Melo to BE LIKE THOSE GUYS because he's not a natural facilitator, point forward, or capable of sliding to the PG.

[DukeDelonte13]

when i think of wasted talent i think of demarcus cousins.

What kind of player could he be if he wasn't a sh*thead and he was on a franchise that wasn't the Browns of the nba.

[Smook A.]

When I think of wasted talent, I think of Dwight Howard. All that athleticism and 0 post game to show for.

[Smook A.]

You mean January. When they will already 15 games out of 8th seed :lol
:roll: :roll: :roll:

[ClipperRevival]

I see I'm over your head!!! I'm talking about how people see Melo as a big waste of talent!!! LMAO!!! I'm talking about when people take it that far. And ONCE AGAIN, Melo is going to the HOF! If you don't like his style of scoring, that's your opinion. But at the same token, Melo HAS MADE the WCF! He finished third in MVP voting when the Knicks had that very good season. So when he has the RIGHT TEAM AROUND HIM, he does some great things.

WHEN ARE THE TEAMMATES of some of these great scorers gonna catch some heat?? When are the coaches who coach some of these great scorers gonna catch some heat??

And guys like a Bron for example have world class PG IQ TO GO WITH his great scoring. Guys like a MJ could play PG, SG, and SF! So u can't expect Melo to BE LIKE THOSE GUYS because he's not a natural facilitator, point forward, or capable of sliding to the PG.

Obviously Melo is far from being a waste of talent. That is laughable. There are literally hundreds of guys ahead of him in that department.

But I do kind of disagree about his style of play. I've never been a big fan of his game. It's not optimal bball. He's not the type of superstar I would want to build around as "the man."

[bizil]

Obviously Melo is far from being a waste of talent. That is laughable. There are literally hundreds of guys ahead of him in that department.

But I do kind of disagree about his style of play. I've never been a big fan of his game. It's not optimal bball. He's not the type of superstar I would want to build around as "the man."

Well said! I'm fine with those who aren't big fans of Melo. We all have our certain players that we prefer. I just think some people take it too far with their criticisms. I think the prototype guys to build around for perimeter players are the ones who are great scorers and great all around players in one. The guys like MJ, Bird, Magic, Big O, West, Kobe, Wade, and Lebron.

After these types I think KD and Dr. J had very good all around games to go with their great scoring. I think their all around games are underrated. So perimeter wise, I agree that these kind of guys are the easiest to build around. I do think Melo could be "the man" on a title quality team, but I admit it would be harder to build a team around him.

[Overdrive]

The Pistons draft him instead of Darko and his career trajectory is totally different.

[smoovegittar]

NY stays healthy this year....some of ya'll will finally put this shit to bed.

I agree that Melo isn't the guy you build around. I wasn't that thrilled when Dolan gave up the farm for him. But I've watched this cat work hard on his overall game, and he's improved every year regardless of his aging.

Melo's earned my respect, unlike a lot of other "stars" that currently play the game.

[JebronLames]

Melo is pretty much Kobe without the help of luck, refs, coaching, and great teammates.

[Smoke117]

The Pistons draft him instead of Darko and his career trajectory is totally different.

Honestly...I could see Carmelo creating a problem and getting traded off that Pistons team anyway. That team was about winning then and not working in a rookie...and that's without mentioning the fact that Larry Brown never played rookies much in the first place in general. My Point? Carmelo's ego would never suffer this and he'd end up making a stink about it.

[ILLsmak]

Well said! I'm fine with those who aren't big fans of Melo. We all have our certain players that we prefer. I just think some people take it too far with their criticisms. I think the prototype guys to build around for perimeter players are the ones who are great scorers and great all around players in one. The guys like MJ, Bird, Magic, Big O, West, Kobe, Wade, and Lebron.

After these types I think KD and Dr. J had very good all around games to go with their great scoring. I think their all around games are underrated. So perimeter wise, I agree that these kind of guys are the easiest to build around. I do think Melo could be "the man" on a title quality team, but I admit it would be harder to build a team around him.

If you set a value on each player and reference dynasty level teams or even a very large percentage of championship teams... and you give me a chance to add in similar players around Melo that, say, Curry gets or Bron gets or Duncan gets, I could build a contender around him.

I think first of all... getting in the right spot is very underrated, then having a front office that gets the guys who do the little things. Getting dudes like Birdman in Miami... that make huge differences.

It'd be harder to build around him than LeBron because Bron is a better player. Bron is also a ball handler AND scorer. Melo needs to be part of an offense. He needs someone to get him the ball and he isn't a space and let him go to work type of player. Still, he's v underrated as a winner and as someone who is a superstar (prol not anymore tho.)

For some reason, it upsets me when people shit on guys who are good but in impossible situations. But as I said, he didn't have to go to NY. Still...

I'm just saying... outside of LeBron, who is head and shoulders easier to build around than prime Melo? KD? I dunno. It's hard to win a ring, but he's def a legit 1st option championship guy IMO... given he has a team around him.

-Smak

[bizil]

If you set a value on each player and reference dynasty level teams or even a very large percentage of championship teams... and you give me a chance to add in similar players around Melo that, say, Curry gets or Bron gets or Duncan gets, I could build a contender around him.

I think first of all... getting in the right spot is very underrated, then having a front office that gets the guys who do the little things. Getting dudes like Birdman in Miami... that make huge differences.

It'd be harder to build around him than LeBron because Bron is a better player. Bron is also a ball handler AND scorer. Melo needs to be part of an offense. He needs someone to get him the ball and he isn't a space and let him go to work type of player. Still, he's v underrated as a winner and as someone who is a superstar (prol not anymore tho.)

For some reason, it upsets me when people shit on guys who are good but in impossible situations. But as I said, he didn't have to go to NY. Still...

I'm just saying... outside of LeBron, who is head and shoulders easier to build around than prime Melo? KD? I dunno. It's hard to win a ring, but he's def a legit 1st option championship guy IMO... given he has a team around him.

-Smak

Well said! No doubt in my mind Melo is a clear 1st scoring option guy on a title team. He's a true alpha dog scorer who has one of the top 5 most complete scoring skillsets of all time. But as u stated, he doesn't cover up as many gaps as Bron.

So it can be more about guys landing in the right spot. If Melo ended up in Detroit at the start of his career, I think Detroit would have one more than one ring. And Melo's career would have been looked at differently. So besides the guys WHO COMBINE great scoring and great all around ability, other types of players AREN'T head and shoulders above a Melo or Nique type.

[Kblaze8855]

When I think of wasted talent, I think of Dwight Howard. All that athleticism and 0 post game to show for.


Huge overstatement to me. There have been plenty of crazy athletic bigmen who couldnt score like Dwight. I feel like Deandre jordan trying to be what Dwight was in Orlando would be just shy of a disaster. Dwight put up 26/15 over a couple months when they were force feeding him the ball in 2011.

Guys with 0 post game simply cant do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGjdKQPz9uo


Dwight was juuuuuuust shy of unguardable one on one for a good while. That year he had runs of 30+ 3 straight games before dropping 40 on the thunder on 16/20 shooting. He was scoring on the pick and roll....on both blocks with either hand...drops steps...spins....quick faceups.

Dwight was a perfectly respectable post scorer.

The way people talk you would think he was Kwame Brown. You dont put up 18 a game over 12 seasons in the NBA without scoring skills. Hes gonna end up scoring 18-20 thousand points. You cant do that off alley oops and putbacks.

[G-train]

Sadly the biggest waste of talent in NBA history is Len Bias.
A poor off court decision cost him his ENTIRE career and his life.

In terms of someone who stayed in the NBA for a while but didn't make the most of it despite mostly good health, I would say Darko.

[Smoke117]

Huge overstatement to me. There have been plenty of crazy athletic bigmen who couldnt score like Dwight. I feel like Deandre jordan trying to be what Dwight was in Orlando would be just shy of a disaster. Dwight put up 26/15 over a couple months when they were force feeding him the ball in 2011.

Guys with 0 post game simply cant do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGjdKQPz9uo


Dwight was juuuuuuust shy of unguardable one on one for a good while. That year he had runs of 30+ 3 straight games before dropping 40 on the thunder on 16/20 shooting. He was scoring on the pick and roll....on both blocks with either hand...drops steps...spins....quick faceups.

Dwight was a perfectly respectable post scorer.

The way people talk you would think he was Kwame Brown. You dont put up 18 a game over 12 seasons in the NBA without scoring skills. Hes gonna end up scoring 18-20 thousand points. You cant do that off alley oops and putbacks.

This.

[Ben Simmons]

Huge overstatement to me. There have been plenty of crazy athletic bigmen who couldnt score like Dwight. I feel like Deandre jordan trying to be what Dwight was in Orlando would be just shy of a disaster. Dwight put up 26/15 over a couple months when they were force feeding him the ball in 2011.

Guys with 0 post game simply cant do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGjdKQPz9uo


Dwight was juuuuuuust shy of unguardable one on one for a good while. That year he had runs of 30+ 3 straight games before dropping 40 on the thunder on 16/20 shooting. He was scoring on the pick and roll....on both blocks with either hand...drops steps...spins....quick faceups.

Dwight was a perfectly respectable post scorer.

The way people talk you would think he was Kwame Brown. You dont put up 18 a game over 12 seasons in the NBA without scoring skills. Hes gonna end up scoring 18-20 thousand points. You cant do that off alley oops and putbacks.

Great point. I think one thing that really hurts Dwight is that he is strong in he upper body, but the lower body is weaker. The reason this matters is that whenever he post up he cant use his upper body strength or he gets fouls called on him. Mainly from flopping.

I think people would be surprised at how much better players like Lebron (guarded by JJ Barea) and Dwight post game would be if the nba stopped calling offensive fouls on post up flops.

[G-train]

Great point. I think one thing that really hurts Dwight is that he is strong in he upper body, but the lower body is weaker. The reason this matters is that whenever he post up he cant use his upper body strength or he gets fouls called on him. Mainly from flopping.

I think people would be surprised at how much better players like Lebron (guarded by JJ Barea) and Dwight post game would be if the nba stopped calling offensive fouls on post up flops.

It will be interesting how he plays this season in a team environment.
He may not have regressed as much as advertised.

[Smoke117]

It will be interesting how he plays this season in a team environment.
He may not have regressed as much as advertised.

More then anything, I think were going to see a resurgence defensively. The lakers and Rockets were two teams that really didn't give a shit about defense and Dwight clearly became disenchanted early on, on both teams in this regard. The Hawks were the 2nd best defensive team in the league last year...with Howard there and with a chip on his shoulder? They should be the best defensive team in the league for sure next season. Dwight and Milsap going to terrorize teams.

[SilkkTheShocker]

He's the perfect example of someone who does the bare minimum. Had he worked his ass off like a LeBron or KD... he'd probably have a couple MVP's by now. You're right, he probably is the biggest waste of size/talent. Bynum too.


Has KD actually ever won anything?

[G-train]

More then anything, I think were going to see a resurgence defensively. The lakers and Rockets were two teams that really didn't give a shit about defense and Dwight clearly became disenchanted early on, on both teams in this regard. The Hawks were the 2nd best defensive team in the league last year...with Howard there and with a chip on his shoulder? They should be the best defensive team in the league for sure next season. Dwight and Milsap going to terrorize teams.

Agreed.