KingofNy
Starter
Let me correct you on the assists. Yes Melo averages 4 assists BUT you also need to account for the times when he passes but it doesn't result in a score. Therefore, he gets 4 assists a game but that's not a true indication of how much he is willing to pass during the game.
Melo is one of the best offensive talents in the league so when the team starts to look flat, his natural instinct is to put them on his back. Perhaps he doesn't need to do this but he does and if that's not what Antoni wants then as coach he should be able to change it. IF he can't then he shouldn't be coach.
This league is funny sometimes. Lebron gets hammered for not being as aggressive as Melo at the end of games and Melo gets criticized for not being more like Lebron.
HAHA you're dead on. When a team starts losing people have to have someone to blame. I blame D'Antoni. Others blame Melo, some blame Stat. In a way, I think we're all somewhat right but mostly wrong.
D'Antoni tried to change up his system to fit Melo/Chandler and it just doesn't work. Our defense has improved because of Chandler and also because we slowed the game up and eat a ton of clock going into the Iso so often. No good defense leaves their bigs to guard pg's on the perimeter. None.
I think the solution to our problems in the short time (other than firing MDA ) is for D'Antoni to go back to his run & gun system, not this hybrid halfcourt chuck em up and hope they fall system. In doing that Melo is going to have a bite a bullet and look for other ways to score other than isolating himself and chucking up triple covered threes. Also, our guys are going to have to start shooting better otherwise all of this is void anyways.
The problem still lies in Chandler. D'Antoni isn't used to playing a true center in his system nor do I think he likes to. He didn't do well in Phoenix with Shaq. (his best season record under a healthy Shaq was 10 games over .500). If Chandler finds a way to fit in that system and Davis returns healthy and playing like his old self, we can get close to what the suns did with Shaq and finish close to 6+ games over .500.
I know guys, lots of what if's but what else can we do to win under this coach? I don't see any way to do so without MDA coaching what he knows...fast break basketball.