Top 50: Carmelo Anthony, no. 6

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Myles Brown / @mdotbrown

Let me ask you something. Had Carmelo Anthony decided to take his talents to South Beach this summer rather than LeBron James, would there have been a similar outcry?

Probably not. Right?

Granted, the circumstances are different, Melo wasn’t playing for his hometown and certainly doesn’t have the cache to commandeer an entire network, but both of those are reflections of a larger issue.

Expectations. Carmelo Anthony

Plainly put, most folks don’t believe Melo is capable of the same things as LeBron or Dwyane Wade. ‘Capable of what?’ you might ask. ‘He’s arguably the most complete scorer in the league, one of its most clutch players and as recently as two years ago was two games away from a Finals appearance.’ All of which is true, but considering their athleticism, playmaking abilities, productivity and overall success, ultimately you’d concede that James and Wade are the better players.

Melo would probably be fine with that. As he should be. There’s 300+ other guys keeping him company in that category. What he does take issue with, however, is the increasing volume and frequency of folks questioning whether he’s even a franchise player.

By definition every team in the NBA has a ‘best’ player, a talent that distinguishes himself from his peers and whether by merit or sheer necessity becomes the units focal point and de facto leader. But a franchise player is one who not only distinguishes himself from his peers, he separates himself from practically every other teams best player by exhibiting the talent, aptitude and character needed to lead his mates on a championship run. Not every team has a franchise player.

Has Carmelo Anthony displayed the skill and will to be held in such regard? The Denver Nuggets think so. Problem is, Carmelo Anthony doesn’t want to be a Denver Nugget, presumably because he doesn’t like their chances of winning.

Now this could be attributed to instability in the Rocky Mountain state and the recent happenings in South Beach, but at what point does Melo have to assume responsibility? Sure, he can put the ball in the basket, but can he do so more efficiently? Furthermore, what about the opposite end of the court, you know where the other guy gets to shoot? Does he take defense as seriously as scoring? Yeah, his rebounding has improved, but couldn’t it be better? And yes, it’s questionable if the characters currently under contract in Denver can even be led, but ask yourself this too: Has Melo done enough to lead them?

Regardless, Melo doesn’t necessarily owe Denver any more than what he’s already given and this final year of his contract. However, the more important question is whether this newfound desire to ply his trade elsewhere is a matter of competitive spirit or mere convenience. In other words, does he want a team where he can improve or one that will mask his deficiencies? If not Denver, where can a volume scorer, poor defender, underwhelming boardsman and passive leader succeed?

I honestly don’t mean to harp on the mans shortcomings, but when discussing the leagues top ten players it’s no longer a matter of what one can do as much as what one can’t.

In this profession greatness is solely defined through continually meeting and raising expectations. Another trip to the Conference Finals isn’t guaranteed and Syracuse seems like decades ago. We’ve begun to lower our expectations of Carmelo Anthony. Of course this doesn’t matter nearly as much as what he expects of himself, which we’ll find out soon enough. Only then will any other answers become clear.

Now if you’re asking me anyway, I’d have to say no. Melo isn’t a franchise player. Then again, only five guys are. What he is, however, is the sixth best player in the NBA.

That’s still pretty great.

SLAMonline TOP 50 PLAYERS			OVERALL RANK		POSITION RANK
Player	Team	Position	2010	2009	2010	2009
Ray Allen	Celtics	SG	50	36	10	9
Gilbert Arenas	Wizards	SG	49	34	9	8
Lamar Odom	Lakers	PF	48	33	14	10
John Wall	Wizards	PG	47	NR	13	NR
OJ Mayo	Grizzlies	SG	46	46	8	12
Al Horford	Hawks	C	45	NR	6	NR
Jason Kidd	Mavs	PG	44	45	12	10
Joakim Noah	Bulls	C	43	NR	5	NR
LaMarcus Aldridge	Blazers	PF	42	39	13	12
David West	Hornets	PF	41	31	12	8
Monta Ellis	Warriors	SG	40	NR	7	NR
Andrew Bogut	Bucks	C	39	NR	4	NR
Yao Ming	Rockets	C	38	NR	3	NR
Brandon Jennings	Bucks	PG	37	NR	11	NR
Zach Randolph	Grizzlies	PF	36	NR	11	NR
Stephen Curry	Warriors	PG	35	NR	10	NR
David Lee	Warriors	PF	34	NR	10	NR
Brook Lopez	Nets	C	33	NR	2	NR
Gerald Wallace	Bobcats	SF	32	NR	7	NR
Manu Ginobili	Spurs	SG	31	29	6	7
Tony Parker	Spurs	PG	30	15	9	3
Kevin Garnett	Celtics	PF	29	13	9	3
Rudy Gay	Grizzlies	SF	28	44	6	9
Josh Smith	Hawks	PF	27	40	8	13
Andre Iguodala	76ers	SG	26	26	5	6
Al Jefferson	Jazz	PF	25	23	7	7
Russell Westbrook	Thunder	PG	24	NR	8	NR
Chauncey Billups	Nuggets	PG	23	19	7	5
Tyreke Evans	Kings	PG	22	NR	6	NR
Danny Granger	Pacers	SF	21	21	5	5
Carlos Boozer	Bulls	PF	20	32	6	9
Paul Pierce	Celtics	SF	19	17	4	4
Joe Johnson	Hawks	SG	18	20	4	4
Rajon Rondo	Celtics	PG	17	27	5	8
Amar’e Stoudemire	Knicks	PF	16	16	5	6
Steve Nash	Suns	PG	15	22	4	6
Tim Duncan	Spurs	PF	14	6	4	1
Chris Bosh	Heat	PF	13	13	3	4
Derrick Rose	Bulls	PG	12	18	3	4
Brandon Roy	Blazers	SG	11	10	3	3
Pau Gasol	Lakers	PF	10	14	2	5
Dirk Nowiztki	Mavs	PF	9	9	1	2
Deron Williams	Jazz	PG	8	11	2	2
Chris Paul	Hornets	PG	7	4	1	1
Carmelo Anthony	Nuggets	SF	6	7	3	2

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’10-11 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jeremy Bauman, Maurice Bobb, Erildas Budraitis, Sean Ceglinsky, Ben Collins, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Manny Maduakolam, Eddie Maisonet, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Charles Peach, Branden Peters, Quinn Peterson, David Schnur, Todd Spehr, Kyle Stack, Adam Sweeney, Dennis Tarwood, Tracy Weissenberg, Lang Whitaker, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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Tags: Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets, Features, SLAMonline Top 50

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http://www.stonesthrow.com Michael NZ

@J: I think that makes the most sense for both teams, by far. A Melo/Griffin combo is really something, plus, as you say, thats a solid return for the Nuggets. I’d check the trade machine for salaries, except, I can’t here at work.
http://Slamonline.com Caboose

J, Vince has value with that expiring contract of his, especially if Denver wants financial flexibility. Gortat, Orton, and Bass could all be fairly valuable trade pieces considering Marcin and Brandon would start on most other teams. Throw in some first round picks and its not too far fetched.
IAMORANGE4EVER

I’m so looking forward to Melo joining the Knicks.
Paul

No Caron Butler?? WTF?
http://slamonline.com AllDayEveryDay

1)CP3/Dirk/DWill are all franchise players…
2)Why the hate on Melo’s rebounding which is 6.5ish, theres only 3 other sf’s who average more, Gerald Wallace whos a beast, and bron/durant who average just 1 more. He’s a 6’8″ 230lbs SF, just a lil bigger than the average SF but he already has good rebounders on his team.
3)His defense is underrated. This happens all the time in basketball. Because hes so good on offense, anything less on defense will be considered bad, when in reality, compared to other SF’s in the league, his defense is pretty average. Not bad not good.
4)Best damn scorer in the league since ’06 Kobe. better than Durant
http://Slamonline.com nbk

Agreed I think Blake Griffen if healthy is a top 5 player in 6 years. But I think Denver would demand Kaman and Melo won’t soften his stance on going east. Pairing with Amare and free agent (x) IMO is most likely – NYK will trade curry’s contract, Gallinari Randolph and Douglas for Melo and maybe jr smith if they force NYK to give up Chandler
http://Slamonline.com nbk

I mean i think Denver will be forced to compromise. No GM sees Melo turning their team into a championship contender when Denver wants every conceivable trade asset with an expiring contract or young legs available. And unless Philadelphia looks like a legitimate offer I don’t see them getting a superstar. I think Derrick Favors will progress very slowly scaring Denver away
http://yahoo.com eboyhater

ill take melo over durant all day baby melo is a beast and top three scorer in the NBA melo is going to remember everything everyone is saying like lebron

p.s. im suprise my man charles hasnt said anything about melo asking to be traded

Laker seasons about to start whoa!!!
http://www.slamonline.com J

@ Caboose: Forgot VC’s expiring my fault. But still that won’t get the deal done imo because you know they will over-value Melo to get highest talents possible. And Bass and Gortat won’t start in Denver with a healthy Martin and Nene. They want to continue to be top dogs in the west and someone who can be an integral part or be build up for the near future. They’re not rebuilding so they aren’t looking for expirings alone.
http://Slamonline.com Caboose

Fair enough J. It’s probably just the Magic fan in me talking anyways. Though I would gladly give up Jameerkat in exchange for Melo. Jameer and Vince for Melo and Afflalo?
http://www.slamonline.com J

@ Caboose: also Jameer doesn’t make sense for Denver.. I think VC at this point in his career wants to stay in a legit contender. So imo he won’t extend in Denver.
meloman2.0

Chauncey shouldnt be given so much credit… alot of Denvers turn around had to do with the subtraction of Iverson… it just so happened they got Billups instead, but the team with Iverson really wasnt well put together
JTaylor21

Y’all just mad because I call em how I see it and speak my mind in an unfiltered and raw manner, most of y’all have a hard-time doing such and would much rather not question the status quo. Like when the media crowned MJ the GOAT so every moron and they mama believe that sh*t, y’all are more gullible than a drunk b*tch on prom night. To all you broads that are wishing me banned, it ain’t happening bra bra, so y’all better stock up on maxi pads because it’s going to be a long and bloody winter.
http://Slamonline.com Caboose

No JTaylor, we’re mad because you have never made one logical point in your life. You grasp at whatever you think will agitate people the most, assert it as absolute fact because you believe your opinion is greater than everyone else’s, then ridicule and belittle anyone who may have anything close to an opposing viewpoint. You are a dismissive narcissist, plain and simple.
http://Slamonline.com Caboose

@J, you do have a good point with VC stying in Orlando as a contender. Fair enough, the Magic would be a great location for Melo, but there’s not enough trade assets for the Magic to get him.
http://www.slamonline.com J

Also just a conspiracy theory.. The Bulls want to lock Noah so they gave him another contract, but in the other side, maybe the Bulls also signed Noah to an extension so just in case they traded him for Melo, they wont part with much more assets since the salary gap isn’t big anymore? Just a random thought.. IDK maybe Chicago really like Noah.
http://www.stonesthrow.com Michael NZ

*wonders how old JTaylor21 is*
slick ric

Jtaylor, I agree durant is becoming a little overated but you trippin dude MJ the g.o.a.t period(.)
http://www.need4sheed.com Tarzan Cooper

id like to point out how incredibly shtty this whole top 50 is. chris kaman, he of 18.5 9 in 76 games last season, is not even on the list!!!!! also missing are aaron brooks, stephen jackson, and caron butler. simply incredible. especially, kaman and aaron. wow. superfail slam.
BBaller

Wow JT21, just when i thought you were growing out of your hate shell,then that……..
Anyway, what are the chances of Orlando landing Melo this season?Are players like Vince(old), Rashard Lewis( max contract), and Jameer( size would be better in the west)even worth trading for?If Orlando take that same team into the playoffs again they cannot expect to win anything, they desperately need a player like Melo to take over on offense.
Hey Myles, just how little control does Melo have? Surely Denver will learn from Cleveland.
Zac

I am not a Dwight fanatic by any stretch, but I hate it that people put so much emphasis on the holes in his game (in other words his offense), but when it comes to other guys and their ‘holes’ (ahmmm, DEFENSE) barely anyone says a thing.

And another thing, Myles is actually speaking the truth, there are only a hand-full of franchise guys around. Durant, at this point, has got to prove it before he’s included in this group (which I am sure he will). Paul Pierce is more deserving than a lot of those rated ahead of him in this respect. The Truth hurts.
Michael Whyte

SO is steve nash ^
XXXXXL

5. Kobe
4. Howard
3. Durant
2. Wade
1. LeBron
lazaruz

i would have bogut over carmelo……….
BBaller

@ lazzaruz, c’mon, your joking right? is it time for silly comments. okay ‘there are 28 players better than Kevin Garnett!’ oh wait.
http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

Agree with Tarzan on the glaring omissions, but I’m not going to be that extreme and diss the entire list. I always enjoy the discussion/write-ups/process of the Top 50.
But, compliments aside: How do you have Lamar Odom in here and not Chris Kaman? How do you have John Wall and not Aaron Brooks–and then put Rose at 12? How do you have Gerald Wallace and not Stephen Jackson?
BBaller

Sorry i wasn’t having a go, but can you elaborate on why? I’m from Oz and love Bogut’s game but i was just happy to see him on the list and wouldn’t try to argue he is even top 30.
FEARtheDEER

5 Howard
4 Durant
3 Wade
2 LeBron
1 Kobe
KING

5. Howard
4. Durant
3. James
2. Wade because he convinced the reigning mvp to come to his team
1. Bryant
Feez22

SIGH… How the he’ll is durant Bette than melo? Listen ppl before u bring out all of the stats on shooting let’s realise something: durant doesn’t score off of ISO posessions. Melo does. That’s why I say melo is te much better offensive player. When u can score without countless screens and curls (yes this is how durant scores) I will say you are a better scorer. In terms of leadership… Fun fact. The nuggets won something like 30 games before melo got to Denver. As soon as he got to town they won 50 GAMES and made the playoffs his rook yr. That is a mark of a franchise player. Durant propels his team to the playoffs once and he leapfrogs melo? What kind of crap is that? And it ain’t even like durant played well… He was HORRIBLE v the lakers and versing single coverage in artest. Westbrook was the best thunder player all series. The overrating of durant has gone out of control at this point I would say that a healthy cp3>>>>>durant. I can already picture the rest of this poll… If durant is ahead of Wade in this It is a bunc of bs. Why? In wades 3rd yr he almost single handedly owned the mavs for the title yet I heard NO ONE give him the HYPE we give durant or even lebron after their 1st playoff appearences in their 3rd yrs. Just shows. How powerful the media is… Too bad Wade has been on the short end of the hype train even right after having the most efficient dominant finals of ANY PLAYER in NBA HISTORY. Enough said with this poll.
http://nuggetsnation.proboards.com/index.cgi clapzilla

Melo’s 5 Best Playoff Games:
5/11/09 @ Dallas – 41, 11, 5 stls
4/25/10 vs. Utah – 39, 11, 4 stls
5/19/09 @ Los Angeles – 39, 6, 4 asts
4/29/09 vs. New Orleans – 34, 6, 3 asts, 4 stls
5/19/09 @ Los Angeles – 34, 9, 4 asts

Durant’s 5 Best Playoff Games:
29, 19 (*cough*homestatkeepers)
32, 8
26, 6
24, 6
22, 4
All vs. Los Angeles

Melo’s Rebounds When He Needs To. Average In Games of 42+ Minutes Last Season: Melo – 8.1, Durant – 7.6

Melo’s Played 3 Games In OKC. Game 1, Durant Hit A 3 That Everyone Thought Won It, But Melo Hit A Buzzer Beater Right After That. Game 2, Melo Hit Another Game Winner! Game 3, Melo Led Denver In A 21-5 Run To End The Game. So If Durant Can’t Beat Melo, Has A Microscopic Playoff Resume, Doesn’t Have Any Substantial Statistical Advantages, And Didn’t Have To Share The Team USA Spotlight With Kobe-Wade-LeBronze (btw, melo was usa’s best player in ’06 & ’07), How Is He A Better Player? Because He’s Quiet, Polite, And Signed The Exact Same Extension Melo Signed With The Nuggets ’06? And That’s Just Melo! You Can Make Better Cases For Williams, Paul, And Howard On Being Better Than Durant! I Just Hope The Nuggets Have A Better Record Than OKC By The Time Melo Lands In Jersey.
CannibalREX

Let’s set the record straight. Bryant, Bron-bron and wade are definitely better than anyone else in the L. From that point all everything becomes a lot more subjective. Defensively speakin’ Howard can singlehandly keep in check entire backcourts, talkin’ about O then Melo and Durant are something to watch, then there’s the never endin’ Pg dilemma…
Ronald

@Michael from NZ: Jtaylor is 23 from what I remember, so the fact that he acts like he’s 12 is inexcusable.
Ronald

Let me help out Myles here for a bit re: Lebron’s defensive prowess. Remember the year the Cavs played Orlando and lost? The main reason was Hedo. That was the year supposedly Lebron learned how to play defense yet got killed by Turk (who plays the same position as LBJ) despite being 100x more athletically gifted and became one of the best defensive players in the league.
Ronald

Oh, I guess that wasn’t Myles. My bad.
lazaruz

@BBaller… im not joking. Melo is volume scorer, that is all. He is not an efficient scorer, just a volume one. He has no slashing game or spot up game to mix and match, he takes his man off the dribble. Which nevertheless he is second best in the league at barring Brandon Roy.

Bogut has the best post moves in the league at center, best passing center, best on ball post defender, second in blocked shots, second in charges taken. Yet somehow Melo is ranked all the way at number 6 and Bogut at number 39…
http://itsahardwoodlife.blogspot.com omphalos

No team should trade for Melo this season; Nuggets would be expecting too much, and any team that gives up equal value for Melo won’t be any closer to a championship. Teams should just sit tight and wait for FA where they can sign him without losing major talent.
BBaller

@lazaruz….I hope Bogut can fully recover from his injury and continue to improve. He was certainly starting to show us why he was the #1 pick, and your right to some extent that with those stats maybe he should be higher on the list. Still, he needs to perform at that high
pre injury level , night in, night out,for quite some time to be considered this late on in a top 50 list. As for Melo, sorry i can’t be bothered looking it up, how bad is his FG% to justify saying he is not effective? Lets not try to make sense of this list, it is only intended to help us make it through the off season. Only days to go, feels like one of the longest in a while.
http://itsahardwoodlife.blogspot.com omphalos

Just wrote out an argument for why Melo should be considered a franchise player. Click my name and give it a read Myles, or anyone else really.
meloman2.0

Cosign Clapzilla…. Exactly!
http://hoopistani.blogspot.com hoopistani

5. Howard
4. Bryant
3. James
2. Wade
1. Durant
rob

^agrees with your list

if you were at the spurs vs thunder game lastnight, you would notice how durant put up 29 and 9 boards with efficiency and he had a pretty good defensive showing too. for a guy as skinny as he is, he sure is a better rebounder than melo ever was
rob

@CannibalREX. dont b dumb, ur just biased. OKC is on one of the most well rounded teams in the league. KD put up 29 last night, Jgreen had 27, and westbrook and harden put up 17 and 18 respectively and beat the spurs by 10. melo’s NEVER played with good gaurds btw. rwestbrook and jgreen are way better than anybody melo’s ever played with so his stats are the one thats inflated. he is overrated as hell. so i advise you start watchin some games boy
rob

@JTaylor21 KD isnt overrated. you just have to admit carmelo has hit his ceiling. KD is still growing and getting better.
Michael Whyte

if lebron and kobe aren’t the 2 best players in the nba ill make love to a chicken
Elvis Freshly

@Clapzilla Co-sign…. I just can’t see it (no Ray Charles) Melo is just more clutch and a better playoff performer. Go ahead use the age excuse and it being Durant’s first playoff game that’s not going to work here, sorry. Durant is a catch and shoot player (mostly) he doesn’t have the post game the Melo posses. Not to mention Melo is more clutch. Now I do admit that Melo can work harder on the defensive end and snag more boards. To be honest if some of you really think KD is better defensively it’s not by that much. Both of these guys can work harder on the other end of the floor. Durant is one of my favorite players and I’m proud to see him become one of the elite players in the league but he is not better then Melo (YET). Durant played horrible vs the Lakers, check Melos stats from when he played the Lakers in the western conference finals and compare them to KD’s, yeah I know right? Carmelo is way more clutch then Kevin is also, so I just can understand this… but I swear if I see Durant ahead of Wade all hell is going to break loose, the floors will crack and open up, there will be tornados, ice storms and tsunamis.
justin

This list is straight trash slam and ive been subscribed to your magazine for many years now. Your gonna put Howard in front of Melo when Dwight can’t even make a damn free throw and the only good thing for Dwight is rebound and blocks. No Stephen Jackson on the list or Caron Butler? That is garbage, and if it wasn’t for Jackson the Bobcats wouldn’t have made the playoffs. With that said, Melo is better then Dwight overall.
Elvis Freshly

Look at Melo’s production on the national team, he often looked like the best player on the floor as he reliably hit open shot after open shot and didn’t force the action as much as he does when playing for the Nuggets. He looked very comfortable and natural in that situation.
max

1. Lebron James
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Dwayne Wade
4. Kevin Durant
5. Dwight Howard
6. Derrick Rose
7. Amar’e Stoudemire
8. Carmelo Anthony
9. Dirk Nowitzki
10. Chris Paul (when healthy)
http://giftcult.com Dinah Enloe

Ok, this is a good start however i’ll have to explore that a tad more. Will let you know exactly what more i have found.

Top 50: Carmelo Anthony, no. 6

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

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