NBA Rankings: Top 10 small forwards for 2014-15
3. Carmelo Anthony:
2013-14 Stat Line: 77 games, 38.7 MPG, 27.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, .452/.402/.848 shooting, 24.5 PER
A lot of San Antonio Spurs fans and Carmelo Anthony haters might disagree with Melo being put this high, but let’s not overlook the fact that Kevin Durant and LeBron James are the only small forwards who deserve to go ahead of such a dynamic scoring force. Everyone wants to call Melo overrated and focus on how his New York Knicks failed to make the playoffs in a historically weak Eastern Conference, but they overlook those trifling details that directly counter their argument.
You know, things like the ridiculous supporting cast New York was trotting out on a nightly basis. Like the fact that last season was the first year Melo’s missed the playoffs in his 11-year career. Like the fact that he was the first player to average 27 points and eight rebounds per game in a season since Shaquille O’Neal did it over a decade ago. Like the fact that the PERs he’s posted in his last two seasons are the highest of his career.
There won’t be any excuses for Melo to miss the playoffs again next season, especially with a slightly improved supporting cast and a new contract worth $124 million. He can be a ball stopper and his defense has long been lackluster, but Madison Square Garden would’ve been a much more depressing place had Melo gone somewhere else this summer. Carmelo Anthony is the most destructive scoring force New York has seen since Bernard King and to suggest that he’s anything less than the third most valuable small forward in the league would be ridiculous.