Melo?
This is a bit different than the normal fare around here, but thought it was worth sharing. The big news around NYC today is that Carmelo Anthony is coming to town as part of a giant trade. But before everyone gets too excited, my favorite basketball statisticians rain on the parade a bit:
That being said, should the Knicks fans expect this team to become a title contender? Although members of the media might think so, Melo is simply not that productive. Yes, he can play very well over short periods of time (he was doing very well early in the season). But as time progresses, Melo seems to regress to the somewhat above average performer we have always seen. In other words, the Knicks have not acquired LeBron James tonight. What they have acquired is a player who is just a little bit more productive than Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. As for the other parts in the trade…
At least it’s worth watching the Knicks again, though. That’s something.
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Yep – I’ve been hearing this from stat geeks for a while now.
The other interesting one is Kobe – not as productive in crunch time as one might first think. Which sounds nuts, but the numbers tell a compelling story.
not to be ADD about this, but the real story – and the real disaster in my opinion – is that this trade was made by dolan and isaiah thomas over the objections of walsh and d’antoni. in other words, the guys who destroyed the knicks forced a trade that the guys who rebuilt the knicks didn’t want. which means walsh will probably split, as will dantoni, and melo will turn into this year’s marbury. blech. is it baseball season yet?