Klay Thompson vs. Carmelo Anthony

[QUOTE=tpols;14838881]Been watching college basketball since the early 2000s when Jameer Nelson and Delonte West went 30-0 or whatever.

Melo was the most talent having looking young player ive ever seen. I know lebron and Kobe skipped college but Melo looked even better than Wade in college. He was a super elite talent. I don't think his true talent showed itself due to circumstance in the NBA entertainment league.[/QUOTE]

Wade played 3 year of college so Carmelo had more upside. Wade is an all time great. Carmelo is just another high scoring SF

[QUOTE=tpols;14838893]Bingo. That's why he dominated FIBA.

You don't want Melo being your top guy on mediocre teams tasked with doing everything.

Put him on a team like the Warriors where iggy dray and bogut and all the other guys cover defense and culture forces you to play it.... watch Syracuse Melo... he was skying for chase down blocks.

Never would have thought it, but in the right system young Melo had elite defensive potential. Which is why it's such a shame Detroit didn't get him. Legacy would've been so different. Butterfly effect super potent.[/QUOTE]

you're assuming he would have bought in at 19 when he never bought in the rest of his career. He would have expected to start in Detroit immediately. Larry Brown and him would have butting heads from the get go

[QUOTE=hold this L;14838948]Had Detroit picked him up, we would talking completely differently by now. It's crazy what a huge **** up that was.[/QUOTE]

yeah Wade would have how many titles if Detroit had taken the best guy there?

[QUOTE=Xiao Yao You;14838975]yeah Wade would have how many titles if Detroit had taken the best guy there?[/QUOTE]

If you reversed circumstances and let Melo come up under Riley and play with Shaq when he was still 2nd in MVP voting and then peak prime Lebron and Bosh and on the flip side have Wade play for the mediocre Nuggets in the tough West and then the Dolan joke Knicks in the East not only would their productions look different but the ring results would be flipped. Melo had just as much if not more talent than Wade. He just didn't have anywhere near the same level of help.

[QUOTE=tpols;14839052]If you reversed circumstances and let Melo come up under Riley and play with Shaq when he was still 2nd in MVP voting and then peak prime Lebron and Bosh and on the flip side have Wade play for the mediocre Nuggets in the tough West and then the Dolan joke Knicks in the East not only would their productions look different but the ring results would be flipped. Melo had just as much if not more talent than Wade. He just didn't have anywhere near the same level of help.[/QUOTE]

Melo was ass in 06. 43 TS% bum playoff run, getting beat down and knocked out by the 06 Clippers caliber defense. Getting put through hell by Radmanović and Corey Maggette.....

I don't think he would've got out the first round in 06 in Wade's place. Nocioni would've lit him on fire and Deng would've put him in a strait jacket. The bulls played very good defense on Wade and had defensive depth top to bottom. Melo stunk for a long time compared to actual superstars. There's no revisionism or hypotheticals that can help change the reality of that.

[QUOTE=999Guy;14839055]Melo was ass in 06. 43 TS% bum playoff run, getting beat down and knocked out by the 06 Clippers caliber defense. Getting put through hell by Radmanović and Corey Maggette.....

I don't think he would've got out the first round in 06 in Wade's place. Nocioni would've lit him on fire and Deng would've put him in a strait jacket. The bulls played very good defense on Wade and had defensive depth top to bottom. Melo stunk for a long time compared to actual superstars. There's no revisionism or hypotheticals that can help change the reality of that.[/QUOTE]


Melos 2nd option in that series was 16 ppg Andre Miller. 3rd option Greg Buckner at 12 ppg. I guarantee you've never heard of that guy.

Meanwhile Wade was playing with a still 20/10 60%FG Shaq coming off a runner up MVP season. I remember Miami Shaq because he bounced the Kidd Carter Jefferson Nets out the playoffs. He was still a great player around that time.

If you flip those circumstances it's possible Wade doesn't even make the playoffs with Denver.

Klay fits a whole lot more teams with his great on ball defense (he routinely took turns or whole games being the primary defender on the other teams best player) and his non ball dominant style. Its just a seamless fit for any team.

Melo would be better on a crap team where he volume scoring is better, but there is a cap on team success with that style.

He's a hard call for being a dominant #2 as well. He doesn't do enough of the other things (playmaking, defense, etc) like other elite title winning wing #2s usually provide.

Klay literally fits on any team, which is very rare.

I gotta take back everything I said. I thought this thread was about who was the better player. haha. I can say with conviction that it's a not even close situation, but given the parameters laid out, who knows... I personally feel Melo ticks 2/3, but regardless he is definitely better at basketball. The fact that anyone would legit argue for Klay is just troll and hate for Melo.

PEACE

-Smak

[QUOTE=ILLsmak;14839065]I gotta take back everything I said. I thought this thread was about who was the better player. haha. I can say with conviction that it's a not even close situation, but given the parameters laid out, who knows... I personally feel Melo ticks 2/3, but regardless he is definitely better at basketball. The fact that anyone would legit argue for Klay is just troll and hate for Melo.

PEACE

-Smak[/QUOTE]

They don't understand context.

I lost week 3 in my fantasy football league because I started Derrick Henry instead of Chris godwin. Henry got stuffed for 2 points and I lost by less than 1.

Context matters. Talent can only go as far as the circumstances that surround it.

[QUOTE=Carbine;14839062]Klay fits a whole lot more teams with his great on ball defense (he routinely took turns or whole games being the primary defender on the other teams best player) and his non ball dominant style. Its just a seamless fit for any team.

Melo would be better on a crap team where he volume scoring is better, but there is a cap on team success with that style.

He's a hard call for being a dominant #2 as well. He doesn't do enough of the other things (playmaking, defense, etc) like other elite title winning wing #2s usually provide.

Klay literally fits on any team, which is very rare.[/QUOTE]

Prime Melo would be better in either situation. You haven't watched Denver or Syracuse Melo if you think otherwise. He was more athletic and more skilled and flat out better. The thought of 18 year old Klay leading a team to a championship is totally unfathomable.

Even when the warriors first won Klay was putting up 15 ppg on poor shooting in the Finals. Melo would crush him if they exchanged places.

[QUOTE=tpols;14839068]They don't understand context.

I lost week 3 in my fantasy football league because I started Derrick Henry instead of Chris godwin. Henry got stuffed for 2 points and I lost by less than 1.

[B]Context matters[/B]. Talent can only go as far as the circumstances that surround it.[/QUOTE]

The point gets lost when you go a step too far and try to say the difference between him and Wade was the circumstances.

Melo got the deserved hype for his crazy well-rounded scoring ability as a top recruit and freshman leading a good team to a title, whereas Wade was a relative nobody until the tournament. But Wade's all-around game was always better.

[QUOTE=ShawkFactory;14839073]The point gets lost when you go a step too far and try to say the difference between him and Wade was the circumstances.

Melo got the deserved hype for his crazy well-rounded scoring ability as a top recruit and freshman leading a good team to a title, whereas Wade was a relative nobody until the tournament. But Wade's all-around game was always better.[/QUOTE]

I just feel like circumstances dictated that. Go watch young Melo. He was an elite athlete pinning balls on the backboard defensively. He played for a relatively speaking crappy nugget team who didn't prioritize defense at all. Wade played under Pat Riley. With Shaq. The context is just wildly different. A lot of these stars at the top aren't as far apart individually as it would seem.

[QUOTE=tpols;14839052]If you reversed circumstances and let Melo come up under Riley and play with Shaq when he was still 2nd in MVP voting and then peak prime Lebron and Bosh and on the flip side have Wade play for the mediocre Nuggets in the tough West and then the Dolan joke Knicks in the East not only would their productions look different but the ring results would be flipped. Melo had just as much if not more talent than Wade. He just didn't have anywhere near the same level of help.[/QUOTE]

can't see Riley wanting Carmelo. Doesn't have the DNA. He was nowhere near the player Wade was

Ttrolls arguing Melo vs Wade is just further proof he can't analyze basketball. Wade was many magnitudes better.

[QUOTE=Xiao Yao You;14839101]can't see Riley wanting Carmelo. Doesn't have the DNA. He was nowhere near the player Wade was[/QUOTE]

He was a champion at 18 years old and dominated the field. One of the best college players ever. Why wouldn't Riley want him? Youre only looking at things in hindsight that other circumstances dictated.