Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 at 9:35 am  |  68 responses

Amar’e Stoudemire: Carmelo Anthony More Clutch Than LeBron James


It’s not exactly breaking news from STAT here — Carmelo might very well be the most clutch player in the entire NBA — as Stoudemire says he’d want Anthony on his team over James due to Melo’s late-game heroics. From the NY Post: “Amar’e Stoudemire said he would choose Carmelo Anthony as a teammate over LeBron James, saying Melo is more of a clutch late-game shooter. Stoudemire, who made a whirlwind ESPN tour yesterday on a sneaker crusade, was asked bluntly whom he’d want on his team – King James or Melo. ‘I’m going Carmelo Anthony, baby,’ Stoudemire said. ‘Carmelo is a clutch player,’ Stoudemire said. ‘Carmelo is definitely known for making those last-second shots. Comes down to the last few minutes of a game, you want to have Carmelo on your team. LeBron is a great facillitator and ultimate team player.’ … There’s concern Stoudemire was frustrated early on sharing the spotlight –and the ball – with Melo. But Amar’e has never aired that publicly and he realizes Anthony’s clutch shooting is the key to their title hopes. In Miami Saturday in the barnstorming exhibition at FIU, Anthony hit the biggest shot – a game-tying trey with two seconds left, sending the game to overtime. ‘Carmelo definitely stepped up and played some defense when he came to New York and took on a leadership role and we started to win some games,’ Stoudemire said.”

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  • Kobe fan

    Does Amare realize Melo shoots 35% from the field?

  • BlackStar

    When the Heat play the Knicks, I expect Bron Bron to bang on STAT at least three times … Melo is more clutch than Bron, but Bron will probably win a chip before Melo does due to the make up of their teams. If CP3 goes to NY though, the Knicks will be a bona fide problem.

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    Captain Obvious.

  • http://sajkflf.com Jukai

    “No sh*t” the rest of the world did not necessarily add.

  • http://nba.com GP23

    Yeah…. but LeBron is the better player overall. However, saying that, I always thought melo had a better rookie season than LeBron, but ‘Bron got the ROY award. They are both great players (as we all know). Sidenote: I would rather have Kobe taking the last shot more than anyone in the league to date.

  • jessdogg

    Anyone that would rather Melo on your team over LeBron would have to be a team mate of Melo or just a fu(king idiot.

  • http://www.fullc0urtpress.com KHoliday

    This is what happens when there is a lockout! Amare could’ve said “I’m thinking about playing with the Knicks when the lockout is over” and it would’ve made news. He didnt say ANYTHING we didn’t already know. Thanks STAT!

  • ShotCaller

    Don’t be mad at Amar’e for making dumb statements… hes just now realizing Carmelo is better than him. He needs to stop complimenting Melo and learn to play defense himself. He wimps out in big-time situations, and is nowhere to be found when needed. Seems like he makes the news daily. If the lockolout continues #Amarswitchtofashionforever

  • http://slamonline.com datkid

    cosign jessdog

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    In other news, the sky is blue and grass is green…seriously though, Bron is still a WAY better player. Melo is a more gifted scorer, but LeBron is clearly the better all around play. What is Stat supposed to say though? He can’t publicly dog his team mate. They asked him the question, it’s not like he just blurted it out for no reason.

  • KJackson

    I’ll take Melo over Lebron anyday of week. Just because you dont play lockdown defense, doesnt mean he good enough defense to win. Is dirk nowitzki a great defender? Hell no. But he does have a ring, right? exactly. I need somebody who doesnt fold under pressure. Lebron is obvious a better overall player, but shrinking is big moments is a huge deal to me. Clutch is one of the most important attribute, more than Athletic ability and talent. period. Melo ova Lebron.

  • http://slamonline.com LA Huey

    He didn’t say anything a good teammate wouldn’t say. I’ll take LeBron on my team though. I’ll take less-than-stellar moments in the clutch over consistent 1st round KOs.

  • DieselMechanic

    where’s kanye when you need him?

  • IAMORANGE4EVER

    Simply put, Melo is who I want with the ball in his hands during winning time.

  • mo

    Gotta agree with “jessdogg.” What else is Amare gonna say? Even as a LeBron fan myself, yes Melo is more clutch than Bron. But not on the same level overall as a player. I just have an issue with some people acting like Bron aint clutch at all. Are there players more clutch than him? Definitely. Melo, Kobe, Pierce, Wade Dirk (remember what they use to say about Dirk?)etc. He murdered the Celtics and Bulls. Seemed pretty clutch to me in those series. He just has to prove himself in the Finals after what happened last year. Lets see if he can redeem himself now.

  • johnson

    Yall crazy melo’s offence can never be lock down so and lebrons offence we seen it get locked down who remembers 8 PTs in the play off????????

  • bike

    Amar’e, last time I checked, LeBron has led a team to the finals twice. Carmelo has not. Carmelo makes clutch shots in many games that don’t mean anything. LeBron is a better player than Carmelo by every measurable means known to basketball. LeBron has the potential to be the G.O.A.T

  • ChipS

    STAT said nothing wrong here…. he answered a question and of course he’s gonna say his teammate…. Yall reading into this way to much! If he would’ve said ‘Bron the headline would say “Amar’e Stoudemire: I’d rather play with Lebron James over Carmelo Anthony.” Then it would be “Thats messed up, Stat dogging his teammate.” Yall need to get out of your feelings, and look at it in perspective. Really isn’t a headline here, teammate looking out for teammate.

  • T-Money

    STAT said what he had to say. He’s right in saying that Melo is more clutch than Bron. Heck, I’d say that Melo is more clutch than ANYBODY in the L. BUT no GM or coach would take Melo over Bron and it’s not even that close.

  • http://www.twitter.com/_dfrance dfrance21

    ^This pretty much sums it up. Lose the outrage people, nothing to see here.

  • Conor O.

    Oh my God, the sky is BLUE?!

  • robb

    Melo’s not a superstar, no matter how hard they try to sell it. GREAT offensive player, but he doesn’t play defense and we all know that, not enough star power and he’s not a leader. Also Lebron was pretty clutch during the playoffs (not the finals obviously) but Melo’s not played enough playoff minutes so we don’t know how clutch he truly is when it matters.

  • Yesse

    Well, i think LeBron is a better player than him, but LeBron’s clutch has been kinda horrible lately so i agree.

  • MLK4Life

    @robb
    There are superstars who don’t play defense. Steve Nash won two MVP awards in a row and hasn’t played defense a day in his life. Melo is a superstar. Best scorer in the league. Amar’e said nothing wrong here as some of you have mentioned. This isn’t about who the better overall player is. He was asked who’s more clutch, he answered correctly. Story over.

  • Haboogy

    WHY PEOPLE DISLIKE CARMELO ANTHONY SO MUCH IS BEYOND ME…HES NO LEBRON…BUT THEN AGAIN, WHO IS!? HE’S CARMELO ANTHONY…THERE IS NOTHING THIS MAN CAN DO TO MAKE PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR MINDS…I THINK CARMELO ANTHONY IS A SUPERSTAR (TOP 10 PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE)…HOW CAN WE SIT HERE AND SAY DIRK AND NASH ARE SUPERSTARS, BUT CARMELO ANTHONY IS NOT!? — IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE.

    YOU CANT NAME 10 GUYS IN THE NBA THAT ARE BETTER THAN CARMELO ANTHONY…THAT BEING THE CASE…HOW IS HE NOT A SUPERSTAR?

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    I’d take LeBron for the first 47 Minutes and trade him for Melo during the timeout.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    ^exactly

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    nbk’s got it. You should be a GM

  • KJackson

    People that is using “Lebron went the finals twice” needs to stop. Think about it for a second. last 7 seven years. What the tougher conference to get through? West or East. Definitly the West. without question. In the West u have the Mavs, Lakers, Suns, Spurs consistently ever year. When Lebron went to the finals in 07 who did he play in the first two rounds. nobody. And pistons didnt care after the won the finals in 04. And last year, u have the great Dwade on your team. GIVE ME A BREAK with that arguments. Lets Melo’s Nuggets play in the East and gaurantee u they wouldve made the finals at least twice, with Iverson or Billups or Andre Miller. You pick.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    that’s the dream Wayno lol

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Melo has made it out of the 1st round once in his 8th yr career while Bron has been to the semifinals and beyond every season his teams made it to the playoffs. Open and shut case, johnson. Give me Bron for the entire 48.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    I meant the “First 48″

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Sheep are stupid.
    Men do stupid things for vagina.
    Women have vaginas.
    Just wanted to add some other obvious comments to the collection.

  • mo

    @ KJackson – Melo’s Nugget squads would not have beaten the Pistons or the Celtics teams that Bron’s teams had to go thru. So no, Melo’s teams still would not have made it to the Finals even in the EAST. All that running and gunning the Nuggets do aint gonna work in the Eastern Conference. Thats why the made it out of the first round only one time. They don’t play defense. And that’s probably gonna be what happens to the Knicks unless they get rid of D’antoni. At the very least, both Finals teams that LeBron has been on has been top 5 defenses in the league. Thats why they were able to beat the Piston’s and Celtics. Not that the Pistons “Didn’t care after winning a ship in ’04.”

  • kbj

    of course he is, he is a more versatile scorer period, if he just added killer instinct to that, he can definitely take the torch from kobe.

  • Animalxxx13

    Melo is so overrated and can’t do anything but score with low field percentage. What’s the big fuss over him? He is definitely not among the top twenty players in the league!

  • KJackson

    @mo Cavaliers never beat the celtics . what are u talking about. And u telling the team that the nuggets team that played Lakers in the west finals couldnt beat the ’07 pistons are u kidding me? They also beat the mavericks on the way to the West finals. Give me a break. Lebron has cupcakes in the First round. Melo have to face San Antonio in the first round. THe same team the Melo and Iverson play in the first round (Spurs) and actually won a game is the same Spurs team that Swept the Cavaliers in the FInals. Im Just saying. Its the fact Denver had to play them first. Melo would be outt of the first round on a regular basis in the east. Get ya Mind Right, dummy.

  • Chukaz

    He then went on to say “Kate Upton’s hotter than Rosie O’Donnell”

  • ChipS

    Lebron is the better talent, (but Melo is my fave player in the league right now), But when the game is on the line i’m putting the ball in the hands of the guy from Red Hook that was raised in B-More. Oh yeah if Melo’s not a superstar then niether is: Dirk,Nash,Griffin,STAT,Rose. and I could put Durant in there too but idk. But I gotta a question: If, and big big if, Melo and Stat give/bring a chip to NY, what would that do for them? Will people change their opinions on them? I’m just asking.

  • http://nicekicks.com Meloman2.0

    Melo is the most clutch player in the league… his percentage in game tying or game winning shots in the last 30 seconds is a good 20 percent higher than the next best

  • http://www.slamonline.com Slick Ric

    uh duh, he aint a better player though.

  • O

    I think it’s pretty damn obvious that ANYONE would take LeBron and build a team around him before and THEN take Melo with the next pick. Well, anyone except the geniuses at Detroit. Had they drafted Melo then maybe Melo would’ve had his ring by now…

  • respect

    melo is already on his team! why would he say he wants someone else

  • bull22

    as much asi dont like lebron james, that is an idiotical statement by stoudemire…. figures that this clown supports another one who has never been to the finals.. its seems some players are going to be talking about coulda, woulda, shoulda while there is no season…

  • Dru

    To many moronic statements to address. The bottom line is….’Melo is more CLUTCH. If you don’t know this, you’re a fool or don’t watch basketball. For all this talk about playoffs… it is a TEAM SPORT. How many rings does LBJ have? ZERO! The only thing LBJ does better than ‘Melo is pass and defend…that’s it.

  • http://www.twitter.com/BigFutureLG BigFuture37

    Honestly melo is a better scorer than lebron, lebron scores but no where near as effortlessly as melo, i have never seen someone stop carmelo getting 20+ points…ever…but lebron is a better all around player, even tho melo puts lebron on smash head to head lol

  • JTAYLOR21

    I’ll Hope Lebron Is Clutch In The Bed

    Hey Boo

  • mo

    @ KJackson – First of all, I didn’t say the Cavs beat the Celtics, the Heat did. I’m talking about BOTH times that he’s been to the Finals. That was the issue that you were talking about correct? People saying he’s been to the Finals TWICE. The Lakers perimeter defense was horrible as always that year. The Piston’s defense (7th ranked that year) would have done a way better job than the Lakers (24th ranked that year) against the Nuggets. Yeah, Denver went 7 games with LA because the Lakers made the mistake of trying to run with the Nuggets when the Piston’s would’ve definitely slowed the tempo down and their defense would’ve choked the life outta Denver. So yeah, in my opinion the ’07 Pistons would’ve beat the Nuggets that year too. Can’t run and gun your way to the Finals. You’re gonna have to play DEFENSE eventually.

  • MUBWAR

    so if a Melo led team can get outta the east anytime, how come they got swept last season in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals?

  • http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/a-quick-guide-to-the-issues-of-the-nba-lockout/2011/10/11/gIQAon1ZbL_story.html unf*ckwitable

    No sh*t sherlock, doesnt make him a better player.

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