There are few sports leagues today as grueling as the NBA.

“Nothing will work unless you do.” These wise words were uttered by the young and immensely gifted Carmelo Anthony, who was not always an outstanding player. He had the will but he had to grow into the skill. As a youngster, he was crazy about basketball, but the small forward had to work hard to perfect his game. Today, he is just beginning to fulfill his potential as a genuine leader and is carving out his legacy in the NBA. Since his start as a standout high school player, Anthony has not been a stranger to tenacity and hard work, and he has evolved from a rough stone into a multi-faceted gem. True basketball fanatics have something positive and negative to say about Anthony and his impact on basketball. Some view him as a selfish ball-hog who spends too much time show-boating. They may even go on to say that Melo is too caught up with putting up numbers instead of trying to help his team win. On the other hand, others hail him as a sensational scoring machine, desperate to win a ring. He may even be the most complete scorer in the game today and that accolade alone is enough to rack up some wins. Regardless of his motives, Anthony is truly shaping up as a diamond in the rough. Like a billboard in Times Square, all his strengths and weaknesses have already been put on display for all to see. After more than a decade in the league, he has developed a game that isn’t likely to see any major overhauls between now and retirement. Even so, as with any precious gem, he still needs to be polished.

Defensively, he can be dull and often lacking in effort. Critics are quick to accuse him of losing focus and not connecting enough with his teammates to fully execute defensive plays. The thing is, Carmelo does not drop the defensive ball when he is on one-on-one and face-to-face situations. No, his flagrant flaw is in main “offensive player movement” situations.