Melo as a Secondary Playmaker Could Be Devastating

Late in the 4th quarter of last night's game, it seemed like Lin and Amare stumbled upon something beautiful. I could be wrong, but I think it was after Lin's amazing wrap-around pass to Amare for the dunk. It seemed like something clicked between the two and on the next couple possessions Lin went to the PnR with Amare on the weakside. It was really tough to defend because its hard to offer help. Especially if Lin uses the pick to get into the lane and Amare rolls to the baseline. But just imagine if we do that with Melo as the screener.

Melo would be impossible to cover as a pick and roll/pop guy on the weakside. If he rolls/pops towards the strong side and into the lane, he's a good enough passer to exploit the help defensive rotations, he can pull up for an easy jumper, or can finish at the rim. If he rolls/pops to the baseline on the weakside, he can catch and shoot or go to the rack, or he can reset and iso or go PnR with Chandler/Stat. It seems like all the permutations allow Melo to operate from his sweet spot, or at least from an area where he's very comfortable. But I like Melo most of all as a triple-threat option in/near the lane with guard defending him because of a forced switch created by Lin off the PnR. That would just be impossible to stop.

Its exciting to think about all the possibilities of our offense now. We're going to be a very difficult team to prepare for and set your defense against. We have a playmaking, and doggedly determined penetrating PG surrounded by a bunch of guys that you can't leave to offer help to stop him. And he's good enough and smart enough to work whatever weaknesses present themself. I really don't think that there's a defense out there that could defend us when we're at full strength.