Why can't Melli be the other half of our PF tandem

[jesusshuttlesworth82]

This is how pathetic the rest of our roster is after Luka (and sometimes KP).

We're talking about some dude who couldn't play for New Orleans.

[fifteenth]

This is how pathetic the rest of our roster is after Luka (and sometimes KP).

We're talking about some dude who couldn't play for New Orleans.

He played a decent game. We talk about all the players. But we can cut and paste the above so that we have a template for taking any somewhat good story and making it sound like a complete disaster.

[jesusshuttlesworth82]

Well yesss that's where me and you differ.

You are positive about everything.
I am negative about everything.



If Luka takes a day off, Brunson is literally the only other guy in the rotation that can dribble.  If KP takes a day off, we got bums like WCS, Boban, and Melli people get excited about.

[fifteenth]

Well yesss that's where me and you differ.

You are positive about everything.
I am negative about everything.



If Luka takes a day off, Brunson is literally the only other guy in the rotation that can dribble.  If KP takes a day off, we got bums like WCS, Boban, and Melli people get excited about.

I'm not positive about everything. You've only known me in the Luka era :-)

I got the chance to be positive a lot in the Dirk era, too, but you could go back and check my record after the loss to SA in 2010. 

[Hypermav]

Iwundu had 1 rebound in 5 minutes.  We won the trade.  

[soog]

I agree to an extent that we wouldn't be as excited about Melli if the roster were stronger, but it isn't and we are.

The thing about Melli's performance is that he didn't just do one thing, he did lots of things.  He did them well, and he did them with poise beyond what you expect from a 2nd year player.  Makes sense given his Euro experience.  It's obvious he has a high BBIQ and is skilled.  Based on the little bit we saw, he's competing with JB to be the second best passer on the team.

The thing that stood out to me was how comfortable and confident he looked.  I have to think a big part of that was being on the court with Luka.

Now the question is whether he can put on a similar performance against a better NBA team.  If he never does more than he did the other night, but he can do that consistently, he'll be a great rotation player to have.  I'm optimistic he'll be more than that though.

[SkenfromLMF]

I said in the game thread he is already the Dwight Powell of the JJ Reddick trade!

[HanspardShowerVoice]

The reason people are "excited" about Melli is he is something new to talk about, while every aspect about every other current player on the roster has already been flogged to death a hundred times over.   Gotta Feed the Beast of obsessive fandom with something, especially now that the trade deadline is over.   My best case scenerio for Melli is he can play ~10 minutes of backup power forward a night and cap Maxi's minutes at 25 MPG.    There's my wildly optimistic euphoria.  

What will tell us how good THJ "really is" will be a few months from now when he gets to gauge his free market value with every other general manager in the league, not how much talk he's currently getting on a fan messageboard.   I suspect that the NBA General Managers will probably value him a lot more highly than many of our message board posters.

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

I was expecting Melli to compete with the rooks and Bobi as far as DNPs go but even after one game, it's obvious, the guy can play.

Apart from the skill, Melli has the bulk and may yet be the Mavs best option to check the bigs that are too heavy for Maxi and WCS and are too quick for Bobi. IMHO, his physical profile alone would have more use to the Mavs than Powell and Bobi. And his skill set will catapult him ahead of WCS. So, I'm calling it now (yes after one game),  Melli would be the Mavs 3rd best big after KP and Maxi.

[ItsGoTime]

I suspect that the NBA General Managers will probably value him a lot more highly than many of our message board posters.

Right, cause NBA GM's don't sign players to contracts that are way above their worth.

[ThisIStheYear]

He probably just got lucky against the worst roster in the league, because if you look at his stats, he’s been truly atrocious over the course of his brief NBA career.  He did flash some skills though and maybe just needed a more free flowing style. He deserves a look but my expectations are not high.

[ItsGoTime]

If Melli is the guy we saw against OKC on this team, he is the third big in the rotation.

[HanspardShowerVoice]

Right, cause NBA GM's don't sign players to contracts that are way above their worth.

The market ultimately decides what a player is worth, not anyone's feelz.    Whatever THJ gets on the market is what the market decided he is worth at that particular time.  Whether he plays up to it is another matter.

Futher, I think people mistake the idea that being overly pessimistic is the opposite of being a homer.    Homerism is when you're so myopic about your team you can't objectively and realistically evaluate them.   Extreme pessimism is just another form of homerism, not the opposite of it.

[ItsGoTime]

The market ultimately decides what a player is worth, not anyone's feelz.    Whatever THJ gets on the market is what the market decided he is worth at that particular time.  Whether he plays up to it is another matter.

Futher, I think people mistake the idea that being overly pessimistic is the opposite of being a homer.    Homerism is when you're so myopic about your team you can't objectively and realistically evaluate them.   Extreme pessimism is just another form of homerism, not the opposite of it.

Market value and worth are completely different and in many cases not anything near eachother. If that weren't the case, there would never be any talk of "albatross contract" and "immovable players". Is Horford worth his contract? Walker? Wall? There are reasons teams have to attach more than a players market value contract to trades to make it even.

[soog]

Nico and Luka in 2018 Euroleague championship.  I haven’t watched the full thing yet so don’t have much to comment on, but I wanted to share it here just in case others haven’t seen it.

2018 Euroleague Championship (Luka v Nico)

[KillerLeft]

Nico and Luka in 2018 Euroleague championship.  I haven’t watched the full thing yet so don’t have much to comment on, but I wanted to share it here just in case others haven’t seen it.

2018 Euroleague Championship (Luka v Nico)

Thanks so much for posting this. I've always heard about this game, but never watched it until now. Some observations:

1) Going into this, I expected it to be a great game, but even with that expectation I was surprised by the high level of play. Both teams were deep with skilled players, and while it's probably not on the same level as the NBA Finals, it's a better brand of basketball than the random pre-all-star Tuesday night matchup between Charlotte and Minnesota for sure. Lots of names NBA fans will recognize on these teams, as if NBA scouts routinely cull the final 4 of this league for talent. I thought the deep benches and 10 minute quarters made for more defensive energy, too. 

2) Melli was pretty damn good in this game. 

3) I was hoping that Luka's interactions with the refs stemmed 100% from cultural difference from this league to the NBA. My takeaway from this viewing was that while there is a difference, Luka was far and away the biggest complainer in this game, just like he is over here. I really hope he grows out of that. I don't think it will make or break his career, but it will help elevate American fans' opinion of him, which I find is becoming oddly important to me.

BTW, a question for my fellow old-heads: Who was the poster who used to make polls all the time and always included a "Real Madrid" option at the end of them?

[Thukydides]

I don´t think he is a real stretch big. NO used him as a spot up only guy and it did not work. 0.63 3PAr / 31% from 3. In the game against OKC he looked really good in the high post / mid range area. Compared to Maxi for example he certainly has more of an inside game. Maxi rarely enters the paint and rotates around the 3-point line. Melli prefers the short roll to the ellbow/high post. His midrange percentages are elite and I absolutely loved his inside passes against OKC.
My premature (one game and some highlights from europe) comparisation would be Boris Diaw.

Boris Diaw is such a great comparison. I'm jealous I didn't come up with that one.

[HanspardShowerVoice]

Oh, there's Jan Vesely.  Remember when he was drafted with the #6 pick in the draft, and Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Vucevic and the Morris twins went in the next 10 picks?

[soog]

Thanks so much for posting this. I've always heard about this game, but never watched it until now. Some observations:

1) Going into this, I expected it to be a great game, but even with that expectation I was surprised by the high level of play. Both teams were deep with skilled players, and while it's probably not on the same level as the NBA Finals, it's a better brand of basketball than the random pre-all-star Tuesday night matchup between Charlotte and Minnesota for sure. Lots of names NBA fans will recognize on these teams, as if NBA scouts routinely cull the final 4 of this league for talent. I thought the deep benches and 10 minute quarters made for more defensive energy, too. 

2) Melli was pretty damn good in this game. 

3) I was hoping that Luka's interactions with the refs stemmed 100% from cultural difference from this league to the NBA. My takeaway from this viewing was that while there is a difference, Luka was far and away the biggest complainer in this game, just like he is over here. I really hope he grows out of that. I don't think it will make or break his career, but it will help elevate American fans' opinion of him, which I find is becoming oddly important to me.

BTW, a question for my fellow old-heads: Who was the poster who used to make polls all the time and always included a "Real Madrid" option at the end of them?

I’m only through halftime, but like you said.  Nico was impressive, and in very much the same way he was impressive for the Mavs the other night - he was usually in the right place on the court both defensively and offensively, he made good decisions, he made sound passes, and he hit open shots.  He didn’t wow me with his athleticism, but when you play smart you don’t have to do that.

The thing that impressed me most though was when RM isolated him at the top of the key and he had to defend one of their guards fully exposed at the end of the half.  He shut him down by just playing solid D.  

He is the MVP for FB through at least the first half.

And I was saddened by Luka’s constant complaining too.  Hopefully it’s something he grows out of as he matures.

[HanspardShowerVoice]

I must be the only person who doesn't care at all about complaining to the refs.   LeBron and Tim Duncan are the biggest call complainers I've seen in my lifetime, didn't seem to hurt their  careers.    In fact, I would say if you're not working the refs for calls, you're probably leaving points on the floor imho.