Carmelo Anthony has been decried as not worth anyone's time, as he just scores a lot but does so at average efficiency. The war over 'Melo's value is, of course, a proxy battle for basketball's years-long Usage War, in which men who think they know everything (*raises hand*) argue whether there's significant value in shot creation. Political analyst Nate Silver, who first reached fame as a sabermetrician, wades into the mire with a post on 'Melo at the New York Times' website.
Carmelo Anthony Makes Everyone Better By Taking Lots Of Shots
↵↵Because he is able to score from anywhere in the court, Anthony draws attention and defenders away from his teammates, sometimes leaving them with wide-open shots. He also allows them to be more selective about the shots that they choose to take, since they know that Anthony can usually get a respectable shot off before the 24-second clock expires if needed.
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There is, of course, data to back it up. Well worth a read, even if Silver concludes 'Melo still might not be the right choice for the New York Knicks, as our own Mike Prada has argued.
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