5 Harsh Realities About Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony's career is a classic what-if scenario. This is one of the greatest scorers of all time, a player with a jump shot so pure that he's the only player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game without a single one of them coming in the paint.

Maligned all over the internet for only having a couple of jab step moves up his sleeve on isolation possessions these days, he is a far cry from the scoring machine that he was for a large chunk of his career with the Nuggets and the New York Knicks.

Talent is not enough to win championships in the league. It takes sacrifice and a willingness to be coached and play different styles of basketball, getting out of one's comfort zone while doing so - none of which Melo has conceivably been successful at.

The following are 5 harsh realities about him:

#1 His postseason record is not much to brag about

Indiana Pacers v New York Knicks - Game Five

Melo made the playoffs every year for the first 10 seasons of his career. Up until his 6th season, the Nuggets were eliminated in the first round every time. Although 3 of those losses were against the Spurs, who were clearly the best teams in the mid-2000s (their losses came in 2004, 2005 and 2007), they had a pretty good team that could've beaten the Lakers in 2008.

On top of that, the Nuggets should have definitely won their first round encounter against the Clippers in 2006, which would then have pitted them against a Phoenix Suns who they matched up pretty well against. One could also make the argument that the Nuggets should have beaten the Lakers in 2009 based on talent alone, but they lost the Conference Finals in six games. A loss to the lower-seeded Jazz in the first round in 2010 is also a disappointment for Melo, even though he averaged 30.7 points per game.

The Knicks, meanwhile got swept by the Celtics in the first round of the 2011 playoffs - another disappointment for Melo. They got beaten by the Heat in 2012, understandably, but despite being fancied against the Pacers in the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals, they conceded ground to the younger team despite having experience on their side.

There wasn't a lot Melo could have done in most of these losses, and the Knicks' failure to make the playoffs during his last 4 seasons in New York, but he clearly didn't make the best of his opportunities to do so.

#2 He's been a minus defender for all but 2-3 seasons of his prime

Utah Jazz v Oklahoma City Thunder - Game Five

A cursory glance through Anthony's advanced statistics on basketballreference.com yields us a stat that most superstars would be loath to have on their resume - Melo has never been a positive defender through 15 seasons in the league, according to the Defensive Box Plus Minus metric.

His best DBPM score of exactly 0.0 came in the 2011-12 season. Granted, this stat is not a very reliable one, especially for players who don't play on good defensive teams. However, it is somewhat damning that he's never logged a single season with a positive DBPM.

Melo was a passable, average defender during his best years (from 2007 to 2014). His effort has never been at fault, but his frame doesn't allow him to make the swift shuffling steps required by perimeter defenders to guard effectively on drives. He is best used as a help-side defender in the post, but he doesn't offer much rim protection there.

His defense has trailed off in the last 2 seasons as a result of imperfect conditioning.

#3 He has failed to change his game to suit the post-modern NBA

Indiana Pacers v New York Knicks - Game Two

Over the last 4 seasons, the primary reason why the Golden State Warriors have attained historic levels of basketball excellence is because of their offensive identity, even if they are a spectacular defensive team as well. Coach Steve Kerr prioritizes the running of an offense that affords touches to everyone several times in one possession, in order to find the most effective path to a basket.

This is an approach more and more teams have begun adapting with a great deal of success, and it requires players to buy into the Spurs' philosophy of 'Good to Great' - passing up a good play in order to facilitate a better opportunity.

Anthony is, and always has been, a ball-stopping player. Once he gets the ball in the mid-range, the defenses in front of him can adjust easily because he always tries to look for his own shot instead of trying to fashion the best possible offensive move. His refusal to be a willing passer and tendency to iso too much has not stood him in good stead, even as other players from the time have adjusted to playing that way.

#4 He was never a top-5 player in the league

Anthony is one of the greatest scorers in the history of the game. That much is clear to anyone who watched even one game by Melo in his prime. He can score from anywhere on the court even today, and there is not one spot inside the 3-point arc from where he's not good.

With that being said, however, he isn't a complete player, and never was even during his best years. He is a good enough playmaker when willing, a really good rebounder and an adequate defender but his game was never as well-rounded as other elite players from his time. The likes of LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan all have an assortment of ways in which they can win games.

Melo isn't at the same level as these players. The only season when he had an argument for being a top 5 player was 2012-13, when he won his scoring title over Kevin Durant. Even that season, it was obvious that LeBron, Kobe, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant were a level above him.

#5 He has never given the impression that winning is more important to him than raking it in

New York Knicks Introduce Carmelo Anthony

Unlike his team USA compatriots, Melo was uninterested in forming a superteam, instead taking the money and forcing his way to the Knicks. Stoudemire's failing health and the Knicks' inability to get him help from elsewhere meant that he was resigned to being playoff fodder during his time with the Knicks.

Having already failed at making the playoffs with the Knicks in the previous season as New York finished 37-45, Anthony stood at a real crossroads in his career after opting out of the final year of his 4-year deal with the Knicks in the summer of 2014.

It must have been abundantly clear to him that he had no shot at title contention after 3 years with the franchise. But Melo took the decision to spurn the possibility of joining the Houston Rockets with Dwight Howard and James Harden, as well as that of joining Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler with the Bulls.

He signed a 5-year contract with the Knicks and failed to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference in any of his 3 seasons with that franchise thereafter. This is the biggest sign that he probably prioritizes money over winning championships.