Better player: Kawhi or Melo?

[oarabbus]

Melo >>> Leonard


Put Leonard on the Knicks and Melo on the Spurs. Spurs will probably win back to back years. Knicks stay a lottery team even with Kawhi playing 82 (Melo always takes a team to the playoffs when he doesn't miss most of the season)

Melo with Duncan backing him up? Ginobili drawing the defense and kicking it out to him? Pop drawing plays for Melo? It would be NASTY

[ClipperRevival]

Melo >>> Leonard


Put Leonard on the Knicks and Melo on the Spurs. Spurs will probably win back to back years. Knicks stay a lottery team even with Kawhi hurt (Melo takes them to the playoffs when he doesn't miss most of the season)

Melo with Duncan backing him up? Ginobili drawing the defense and kicking it out to him? Pop drawing plays for Melo? It would be NASTY

Ummm no. Spurs play team ball. The ball is constantly moving. Melo would kill the Spurs offensive flow. You put Leonard on any team and his length, athleticism, D, ability to run the floor and decent offensive production still carries with him.

[oarabbus]

Ummm no. Spurs play team ball. The ball is constantly moving. Melo would kill the Spurs offensive flow. You put Leonard on any team and his length, athleticism, D, ability to run the floor and decent offensive production still carries with him.

Spurs play team ball NOW... but they played slow, half court, "east coast" style ball for the first half of Duncan's career or more.

I have 0 doubt in my mind Pop would figure out Melo. If you think (today's) Kawhi on any of the last 3 years' Knicks teams would be playoff bound, I don't really know what to say.

[ClipperRevival]

Spurs play team ball NOW... but they played slow, half court, "east coast" style ball for the first half of Duncan's career or more.

I have 0 doubt in my mind Pop would figure out Melo. If you think (today's) Kawhi on any of the last 3 years' Knicks teams would be playoff bound, I don't really know what to say.

Melo would be relegated to a corner 3 shooter. His talents don't mesh with SA. Sure, you can go iso with him when you need a bucket and he might come through but right now, give me Leonard's all around game. Like I said, there is tremendous value for a long, athletic, two-way wing player in basketball and always will be. Athleticism. Long. Two-way. Three big factors in basketball.

[ClipperRevival]

Jesus Christ, Kawhi has a 7'3" winspan. That's freakish. He's also got huge hands. Really pays off on the D end when you are that long.

[AirFederer]

I think pure scorers who doesn`t play D are dropping in value as we speak. I`ll take 18-22 ppg with top notch D anyday over 25-35 ppg on low FG% and no D.

[JohnMax]

Kawhi has a higher impact than Melo.

Spurs record without him is poor compared to when he's in the lineup.
Before they got Kawhi, they were not a championship level team.