I never really gave up on him, but I was not going to get behind him until he played defense and manned the **** up.
Heck, I didn't even want to trade Melo + Chandler for HGH + Turkoglue + Ryan Anderson or something similar
I have no idea where Melo is as far as "top players" but in his recent stretch where he's 30+ and ~8 rpg with tough defense, he is without a doubt top 10 player, damn close to top 5.
Melo can play with Amare btw, he was fantastic in 30+ games with the knicks last season. Numbers equal to the best of his career. Amare is the one who struggled. How quickly everyone forgot about that. lol iso's though, you win close games in the playoffs with ball movement and all the wide open 3s you constantly get.
still small chance heat get the 1 seed, they shud be 2.5 games out (2 back in the loss column) going into thursday nights home game vs chicago (miami hosts toronto and chicago is at lolcharlotte weds night) and rose prob won't play.
their schedules from then out are:
Mia
-vs Wash
-vs Hou
-@Bos (cud be resting its starters assuming its clinched Atlantic)
-@Wash
Chi
vs Dallas
@ Indiana
vs Cleveland
If Miami beats Chicago they'd be 1 game back in the loss column and tied in both h2h and conference record loss column. Dallas will be fighting for a playoff spot and Indiana for seeding so without Rose there's some chance they lose one if not both of those. If Miami wins out and Chicago goes 2-2 (losing @Indiana) Miami is the 1 seed. I'm not sure what the 3rd tiebreaker is after h2h/conf record so I'm not sure who gets the 1 seed if Miami wins out and Chicago goes 2-2 with their other loss being vs Dallas.
It could end up being like 1999. Lockout year, talented but injured Knicks squad that didn't fully gel in the regular season, end up with worse seed than their talent level, shock Heat in first round en route to finals run, lose in 5 games to the Spurs.