Good points. Basically a player like STAT is only as good as the guards feeding him. Creating off the dribble, although tried many times, is just not his thing. This results in something negative more so than positive. I agree Felt/Kidd/Prig trio will help put him in to better positions to succeed.
As good as TC is, STAT was known as one of the best p&r finishers of our day. That's partly due to his speed, explosiveness, and ability to draw fouls and finish. I believe he led the league in and-1's.
But that's just it... does he still have what it takes to be successful? His speed and explosiveness? Well to be honest he probably has diminished, but he has expanded his game to adapt.
I see how we click, and I see the need for some more scring in the post/at the basket with a big. TC is not that dude. And Melo cannot do that all by himself, or he will get banged up. I see a quasi-need/opportunity for STAT to fit in.
I imagine what a team like the HEAT would think, doubling Melo to get the ball out his hands, only to see him hit:
- a cutting STAT
-AN OPEN Smith/Novak/or Kidd
And I see them struggling to match our size with waves of astute bigs coming at them. You can never have too much size... no homo.