1. Melo shot *two* years ago the same as Beal and Durant shot last year. I covered that.

2. Last year was Beal's worst shooting season and Durant's worst in some time. That season was well below their average 3-point percentage. I covered that.

3. So yes, it's fair to say that, last year, Beal and Durant were below-average shooters from distance. That's... just a fact. I don't really know what else to say. The numbers are what they are. Above-average career shooters can, in fact, have below-average seasons.

4. Also worth noting that Carmelo's season shooting 35.7% from 3-- which, as we covered, was a little below the NBA average 3-point percentage-- is a full percent *above* Melo's career average 3-point percentage. So even in one of Melo's better 3-point shooting seasons... he's below the NBA average.

5. Beal and Durant were even better in that below-average season than Melo, which I wasn't going to point out, because Melo got cut after a disastrous ten games, and I didn't think it was fair. But since you keep insisting on comparing numbers from different seasons, then I guess it's worth mentioning.

If you're trying to equate Melo, a 34.7% career 3-point shooter who shot 35.7% two seasons ago, with Beal and Durant, both above 38% career 3-point shooters who shot anomalous career lows from 3 last season... then I'm really confused. You're not comparing their same seasons. You're not comparing their career numbers.

You're comparing... an above-average Melo shooting season (which is still below the NBA average)... to the worst shooting seasons that two good shooters had in a totally different year... and claiming that, because those cherry-picked percentages are the same, that I'm also arguing that Beal and Durant are "average shooters." Which is... weird.

They did, provably, have one below-NBA-average season last year. Yet I feel safe still calling them good shooters, because (a) the career percentages are above average, and (b) until last year, Beal had never shot below the NBA average from 3, and Durant hadn't shot below the NBA average since 2011. Melo hasn't shot above the NBA average from 3 in half a decade.

I like you. I like Melo. I'm not trying to denigrate Melo's career or anything like that. I'm simply pointing out facts to justify why I don't think Melo is useful in a role. I don't think that insinuating that I'm calling Beal and Durant "average shooters" is anything other than a deflection from the facts and from the overall point. And I think if I were arguing with you about a player comparison and I picked a *different season's numbers* to compare with your guy's *career-worst numbers,* you'd rightfully rip me to shreds for it.

Melo is a Hall of Famer, first ballot. And his usefulness in the NBA has come to an end. Both of those things can be true.