Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 12:03 pm  |  143 responses

Top 50: Carmelo Anthony, no. 9

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Sam Rubenstein (and Ramshar and Nasir)

Carmelo Anthony is not only a top-10 NBA player and arguably the best pure scorer in the NBA today, but he is the best thing to happen to the Knicks in years. Amar’e is the pioneer of the return of Knicks’ pride movement, pulling the team back into relevancy again, but it was Melo who made them a team that people actually would turn on their TVs to watch again.

Back when I was in ninth grade at a public high school in NYC, the city was crazy about the Knicks. I remember the day after the infamous Charles Smith game, kids in my school wearing Bulls hats were viciously beaten. My Global Studies teacher, Mr. Harris, was so upset about the game, he went around the room and demanded we all give a reason why the Knicks lost. People really, REALLY cared about the Knicks back when I was in ninth grade, and on through the Van Gundy era. People stopped caring as the ’00s were a lost decade.

I mention all of this because I now teach Ninth Grade English Language Arts at a public school in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Like the No. 1 movie at the box office recently, The Lion King (!!!!), it’s the Circle of Life. (And yes, The Lion King being No. 1 at the box office in 2011 is an example of the Circle of Life in itself.) I’ve been working with adolescents and teens in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn over the past four years, and when I have talked to them about basketball, maybe 1 percent of them would admit that they were Knicks fans. I did notice that a lot of kids from NYC were Carmelo fans, even when he was with Denver.

Why?

Is it because, like Michael Jordan, he is technically from Brooklyn, even if it was just for the early years of his childhood? Is it because of the laid back, easy style of his game that masks flawless technique? Is it as simple as that he has a good personality?

All I know is that in my experience, today’s NYC High School kids have become NY Knicks fans because of Carmelo, and for that I thank him. Now the students I teach get to experience the same joy and pain I once felt back in the day. I chose to share this assignment with two of my ninth graders from last year, currently in the 10th grade.

For the official SLAMonline piece on Carmelo, we came up with the idea of recording some audio at lunch time one day. Think of it as SLAM Radio—all about Melo.

Enough pregame, this is Nasir, Ramshar and Ernie Johnsonstein on Carmelo Anthony.

I think we covered everything that matters. I promised them I would run their top-50 list:

They said Carmelo is better than the Golden Boy MVP! That will not go over well with the public. But as far as our mini radio show (podcast?) went, excellent work fellas.

SLAMonline Top 50 Players 2011
Rank Player Team Position Pos. Rank
50 Luol Deng Bulls SF 8
49 Andrew Bogut Bucks C 7
48 Ray Allen Celtics SG 9
47 Marc Gasol Grizzlies C 6
46 David West Hornets PF 15
45 Kevin Martin Rockets SG 8
44 Andrew Bynum Lakers C 5
43 Brandon Jennings Bucks PG 11
42 Lamar Odom Lakers PF 14
41 Gerald Wallace Blazers SF 7
40 Brook Lopez Nets C 4
39 Joakim Noah Bulls C 3
38 Carlos Boozer Bulls PF 13
37 Kevin Garnett Celtics PF 12
36 Eric Gordon Clippers SG 7
35 Tony Parker Spurs PG 10
34 Andre Iguodala 76ers SG 6
33 Al Jefferson Jazz PF 11
32 Al Horford Hawks C 2
31 Stephen Curry Warriors PG 9
30 Tim Duncan Spurs PF 10
29 Josh Smith Hawks PF 9
28 Manu Ginobili Spurs SG 5
27 Tyreke Evans Kings PG 8
26 Rudy Gay Grizzlies SF 6
25 John Wall Wizards PG 7
24 Danny Granger Pacers SF 5
23 Monta Ellis Warriors SG 4
22 Joe Johnson Hawks SG 3
21 Paul Pierce Celtics SF 4
20 Steve Nash Suns PG 6
19 Zach Randolph Grizzlies PF 8
18 LaMarcus Aldridge Blazers PF 7
17 Chris Bosh Heat PF 6
16 Kevin Love TWolves PF 5
15 Rajon Rondo Celtics PG 5
14 Blake Griffin Clippers PF 4
13 Pau Gasol Lakers PF 3
12 Russell Westbrook Thunder PG 4
11 Amar’e Stoudemire Knicks PF 2
10 Deron Williams Nets PG 3
9 Carmelo Anthony Knicks SF 3

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Maurice Bobb, Shannon Booher, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Jon Jaques, Eldon Khorshidi, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Quinn Peterson, Dave Schnur, Abe Schwadron, Dan Shapiro, Irv Soonachan, Todd Spehr, Tzvi Twersky, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Ben York.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    Lol co-sign Enigmatic. Melo would wave off everyone the moment he touches the ball. “Don’t worry, I got it from here. Now get out of the way”

  • D

    The list posted on the article must have come from someone who doesnt watch the nba

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNKNu4j_y1Q nbk

    I personally can’t see Melo getting 4.5APG, simply because he is a ball stopper who won’t get double teamed in New York’s offense.

  • http://Slamonline.com Caboose

    We’ll see nbk. It’ll all depend on how Melo decides to fit into the D’Antoni offense. Maybe I’m just optimistic.

  • http://www.twitter.com/nflem41 Nicolas Fleming

    The comments on the list must be from people who don’t know how to read good.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    The comment posted by D must have come from someone who doesn’t read the article.
    The kids are 14 or 15.
    When I was a high school freshman in ’99, I thought Penny was the best player in the NBA, and couldn’t no one convince me otherwise. lol

  • MUBWAR

    whatever the case, this should be D’Anthony grand exist from the new york scene if they don’t get to the ECF. He has been bad for 4 years, time for a change

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNKNu4j_y1Q nbk

    When you’re given a bad team, your going to have a bad record. And if Mike D’Antoni finds a way to get the Knicks to the ECF he should get a huge raise. a huge one – and probably some kind of large award

  • MUBWAR

    the raise is having Melo and Stat for a full season then there is no excuse. I feel bad for dwayne cassey for having poor all around talent. I don’t feel bad for Mike having Amar’e the whole season and Melo(for half) and not being able to win a SINGLE PLAYOFF GAME.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNKNu4j_y1Q nbk

    those guys suck in the playoffs. expecting them to win any games was a pipe-dream. Especially considering the Knicks got worse once they added Melo, because they gave away more then they got back in terms of production. That trade (other then that it got back Melo) was absolutely horrible for the Knicks. And the contract they extended to Melo was even worse. The Knicks are so screwed

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    There’s a huge difference between being asked to win a playoff game and being asked to make it to the ECF.
    Making it to the ECF would mean having to beat either the Heat or the Bulls to get there, and I don’t see the Knicks accomplishing that next postseason.

  • MUBWAR

    then to all respect to O’Anthony, he should be fired.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    The Bulls, Heat, Celtics and Magic are all going to be better than the Knicks this upcoming season, so that means they are have to make it past either the Magic or Celtics in the 1st round then knock off the Bulls or Heat for a chance at the ECF. Not happening.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    I actually don’t think O’Antoni’s the man for the job either, based on his coaching style.
    Never been a fan of dude.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNKNu4j_y1Q nbk

    If they added Chris Paul (best case scenario) who would you want coaching all the offense? D’Antoni is just about the only offensive coach I’d want. It’s not like you can bring in Larry Brown and expect Melo and Stoudemire to do anything but ignore him.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Well then, either dude needs to step aside and be an assistant coach handling the offense, or he needs to find a Thibs clone to be his top assistant. But they’re not getting it done without more of a focus on the defensive side.
    The Magic, JTaylor?
    Not sure about that one, I think the Knicks will be better than the Magic.
    They’ll be affected by all the Howard leaving talk, and if Howard is even the least bit distracted by all that and his play suffers just a bit, the Magic will suck, cause he’s all they got really.

  • LA Huey

    I don’t think it matters if they get CP3, D’Antoni just doesn’t care enough on defense. They are going to need stops and I don’t see them being able to get them when it counts.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    I’m a fan of D’Antoni. Always have been. I have no problem with a running offensive minded coach. Like Enig said though, they need a Thibs like guy next to Mike that they also listen to. But even then whats the knicks ceiling defensively? Maybe 15th in the L? lol they ain’t going anywhere in the playoffs.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Enigmatic, I see where you’re coming from but I doubt Howard lets all that “are you staying or leaving” talk mess up his game. He’s basically the best big in the L (by far), so just showing up every night to the arena gives the Magic a fair shot at winning 50+ gms.
    Also, Orl is not trading Howard this season, those guys are in denial just like the Cavs were about Bron staying.

  • LA Huey

    What’s the East’s hierarchy look like? I got Heat, Celtics, Bulls, Hawks, Knicks, then Magic.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Well, they’d also need more defensive minded players.
    I like Turiaf, dude gets after it on defense, they need more guys like him.
    They should try to sign Taj Gibson when he becomes a FA, might be interested in going back home.

  • MUBWAR

    how are they gonna get CP3? they already have 60 mil in their salary for this season. Forgetting the fact that the knicks need a big and a bench to make noise not necessarily a superstar PG.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Yeah, JTaylor, I agree they won’t trade Howard.
    Not a smart move.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    @MUBWAR – well, it’s not likely, and who knows what the new CBA will be like, but CP could get got after they shed Billups’ $14.2 million contract next year, and about another $8 million will also come off the books from other players’ salaries.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    ok first of all, a defensive minded coach is not going to all of the sudden make the Knicks personnel defensively conscience. Putting a guy like Thibs or Brown w/ the Knicks is just as likely to make Melo and Stoudemire disinterest as it is to get them to buy in defensively. — and Mubwar, I said best case scenario, meaning if they somehow find a way to force the Chris Paul for Billups & Fields deal (which is legal, salaries match up within 5%) then they can add Paul. They cannot however, add a free agent, like Taj Gibson, under any foreseeable circumstance, Unless the MLE stays around the current $5.75M a year, because I think that is the bottom of Gibsons market value. (assuming teams with needs are willing to overpay, like they are 100% of the time)

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    basically the Knicks Salary Cap is completely covered by 4 players next season. Melo, Stoudemire, Billups & Turiaf. — And what comes off the books is irrelevant, after this season, the Knicks have over $41M committed to just 3 players, Melo-Stat-Balkman. So in order to resign Landry Fields &/Or Toney Douglas the Knicks will likely take up all of their cap space. Taking away any opportunity the team would have to sign a FA from a different team.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Melo and STAT are just two guys, though.
    That’s why I said they need to be surrounded with defensive-minded players.
    Boozer and Korver didn’t turn into defensive juggernauts last year and that’s fine cause their counterparts (Bogans, Brewer, Gibson, Thomas) did their thing on the defensive end, as did other players around them.
    Ummm….not that I’m comparing Melo and STAT to freakin’ Boozer and Kover.
    Just sayin’.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    The bulls had cap space for two max guys last summer – the Knicks didn’t but their owner forced them nto the situation by makin Walsh deal half the roster for Melo. Handicapping not just some, but all of te Knicks future roster flexibility

  • shaolin23

    I know this is somewhat unrelated, but Henry Abbott said on twitter, “Unsatisfied with #NBArank, some NYC high school kids make their own list…” and then gives link to SLAM. High school kids eh?

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    Yes Shaolin23, high school kids. Did you even read the article?

  • shaolin23

    my bad thought he was referring to Slam itself.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    I could see how that could be taken as a shot at SLAM tho.
    Scoop Jackson should slap dude up.

  • ripslam

    Kids’ list > ESPN’s list

  • bigmike100

    KD not even close to wat melo bring to da court. i hate wen ppl say melo dnt play d but cant name a time wen he got his ass bust by a player n da league. no.9 is crazy he should b top 5 easy aint no way dirk cp3 n Kd betta den melo. he da most clutch player n da NBA da best scorer hands down mite not hold ron artest like defense but he hold his own like n da WCF against kobe he did a pretty nice job wen he did hold kobe. Melo shuld b top 5 ppl. Psh! Kevin Durant not close to melo

  • Triyo

    Carmelo is pretty much LeBron James…if only he improved his defense…i hope he makes the leap on that end of the court because then he’ll be easily considered top 3 in the league and haters can shut up. and for the record id rather have melo than durant…i said it

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Carmelo is not pretty much LeBron James.
    It’s much more than just the defense.
    For one, LeBron is an outstanding distributor.
    Melo will never average 7 assists.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    ESPN’s list is not THAT bad.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Well, call me a hater but I “Love” that the dude Ramshar and Nasir put at #40 isn’t very high.

  • MikeC.

    @E. In the late 90′s Penny was the best player in the L.

    The Magic aren’t a serious threat to do anything. Their roster is so flawed. Their only hope is a CBA that allows current signing rules, plus an amnesty cut so they can axe Arenas.

    East hierarchy in my eyes:
    1) Bulls
    2) Heat
    3) Celts
    4) Knicks
    5) Hawks
    6) Magic
    7) 76ers
    8) Pacers
    6,7,8 are interchangeable and Hawks only stay that high if JSmith is focused and JJ isn’t actually decomposing before our eyes.

  • Robert

    Well, I didn’t need to read very much of this article to see it wasn’t worth my time. Anybody arguing that Carmelo Anthony is a top ten player in the NBA and the best thing to happen to the Knicks in years is not someone I want to discuss/argue basketball with.

  • LA Huey

    Carmelo is pretty much Larry Bird…if only he decreased his melanin count.

  • MikeC.

    Not sure how that smiley got there. Stupid phone.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    @MikeC – in the ’99-’00 season, Penny averaged 16.9, 5.8 and 5.3 in 60 games.
    I was a die-hard Penny fan, but looking back now there’s no way he was better than Shaq (29.7, 13.6, 3.8), Karl Malone (25.5, 9.5, 3.7), Tim Duncan (23.2, 12.4, 3.2), Allen Iverson (28.4, 3.8, 4.7) and several others.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Ha!
    Carmelo is pretty much Allen Iverson…if only he shrunk eight inches and grew his braids back out.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    neither of those fools got braids – and Iverson is a better defender. Prolly against 6’8 guys too.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    You’re missing the point, Soop.
    You really think Melo would become Larry Bird if his melanin count lowered?

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Carmelo is pretty much Nique……if he stayed away from blue crabs.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    That is an insult to larry Bird who averaged 26 and 13 for his career.
    Melo wishes he could rebound, pass and score like Bird. Yeah, I said score.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Oh, my bad. I see that was sarcasm. My bad Huey. It’s hard to catch sarcasm in the written word sometimes. Sorry about getting so adamant, but I respect the hell out of Bird.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    HAHA I think reputation wise he might get painted as the “white hope” like Bird was. Considering some people already think of him as the “anti-lebron savior of the mecca” even though he is really reppin Baltimore and is the one with the questionable work ethic.

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