Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
My proof is that he spent a full year in OKC refusing point blank to come off the bench, and it's only when he got let go by OKC, then dumped by Atlanta that he went to Houston where he was saying as late as September 25th that had not "had that conversation with anybody yet" about a bench role. The best friend I was talking about was CP3 and you know it.
Melo can't play the 3. I'm sorry if you still think he can, but he can't. He's too slow. You say he isn't slow, all I can say is watch the games. Last year in OKC the team played at a below 100 pace whenever he was on the floor. Houston has been playing less seven-seconds-or-less this season with Melo.
''He definitely doesn't lack shooting''. He's shooting 32% from three this year, shot 35% the two years before that, shot 33% the year before that, and shot 34% the year before that. This is a career 34% three point shooter, who has been declining over the last 5 years. He can't shoot. Sorry if it's inconvenient, but he can't. He hasn't shot 45% from the field in general since 2013-14.
''How is Melo getting all the blame'' he's not. The team in general is underperforming, but acting like Melo isn't a part of that failure is a complete blindness and unwillingness to accept what's happening. Harden is underperforming too, but his net rating is still neutral at +0. Not a positive, not at all, but when he plays the team is staying afloat. Chris Paul is playing well below his usual standard, but he's still giving out 8 assists a game, and has a positive VORP and BPM, while also having a +0 net rating. They're both underperforming, but when they are on the court the Rockets are a mediocre team. They aren't scoring heavily, but they aren't bleeding points either. They are neutral presences.
Melo, by contrast, is a net negative. His net rating is -10 right now. When he is on the floor they are bleeding points. He isn't scoring either, averaging 13 points on 40% from the field and 32% from three. He isn't getting to the FT line, and he isn't playmaking either. Rockets suck in general, but Melo is a standout poor performer even amongst that mess. In a way, that's impressive.
He is not a better SF for our system than Wes, because Wes moves off ball, passes well, doesn't care about getting shots up, and plays hard on defense. Don't know why you're mentioning Solo when he hasn't even played in 3 games and it's pretty clear that the team isn't interested in playing him either. If your argument is that Melo is better than a guy who doesn't even play 5 minutes a game, then sure, but that's a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one.
Again, I am really trying to get an answer here. Fourth time lucky, I hope: at what point do you attribute Melo's struggling to himself? How bad does he have to be before you accept that his poor play is a result of himself, rather than the coach or his team-mates, or the system, or whatever? Where does your tolerance stop?