Paul Pierce: 4.3 possessions lost
Gerald Wallace: Actually gains his team 1.8 possessions
Andrew Iguodala: 2 possessions lost

For comparison, Lebron James netted 4 more steals and rebounds than turnovers and fouls. He missed 10 shots for every 10 he made. Considering offensive rebounding, that's only 7.5 possessions a game that are lost via shooting, with a total of 3.5 possessions lost per game.

Lebron loses 3.5 possessions fewer every game than Carmelo. For a team getting 1 point per possesssion (not that great of an offense), that's 3.5 points on the scoreboard. That's often the difference between a win and a loss. In fact, last year the Rockets averaged only .3 points less than their opponents. Throwing away 7 possessions does not help close that gap.

The difference in efficiency matters. Carmelo is a great athlete, yes, but just because his game seems good and powerful doesn't mean it is.

Admittedly Melo isn't the most efficient scorer but I think he is one of the most potent weapons you can have in a half-court, slow-down slugfest that is the playoffs outside of the 3 amigos from miami (watch him play, no one can really guard him).

Lastly, he is still young and there's definitely room for improvement so stop talking about melo as if he's a 29 or 30 and leaving his prime with a ton of bad habits still on display—he's still entering his prime people!!!!

However, that is partially because there's a big difference between Durant/Lebron and Bosh.

Next season, at PF, we need someone who can do three things. 1 is rebound, 2 is defend and 3 is shoot. I don't think scoring on our team will be much of a problem. If we get a replacement who can't shoot it's not too much of a problem in the context of the Rockets with healthy Yao.

I have to say, I'm a little torn over the Melo option. My initial reaction is, “Yes! We need a star like this to push us over the edge”, however in the past week I've read a lot of pieces outlining that he perhaps isn't as efficient everyone thinks.

However, that's not to say he can't change. With the right coach, team mates and organisation behind him, he might be given enough impetus to change his ways. Having only managed to watch a handful of his games over the past 2 years (being a basketball fan in Australia sucks let me tell you!), I have to say I've been pretty impressed with what I've seen.

On the issue of defense, I'm not sure that it could be as big a problem as some are saying. Watching Boston in the Finals, there's an awful lot to be said for effective team defense. If the Celtics as a group can make Ray Allen look like an average defender, can't the Rockets do the same for Melo?

Excuse my manners – Welcome Conner! Enjoyed the insight.

Throw Yao to the wolves and see what you can get for that. All the fans have just about jumped off the ship anyway. In fact they getting the same reaction with fans they did with Bosh. If we don't get Melo the people will put a strike on the Rockets like they too good for basketball.

To be honest, I don't think we need him. Brooks and Scola can be #1 and #2 respectively, or Martin and Scola can be #2 and #3 respectively. To have a third or fourth option in Yao, bodes well for everybody. What do you think last year was all about anyway. To get these youngsters ready for the trials and tribulations of an NBA season. It was to make leaders in progress, to bring out the best of them, to show the league even when you are down you are never out. It also was to showcase them. We not going to worry about that, don't nobody wants them anyway but us. They are our type of players; Batman, Brooks, Scola, Lowry and Lee. Patterson ,too. Oh and the Chuck Wagon. I always say, 'she can take my love but she can't have my heart.' Now can anyone tell me why are they trying to remove pieces of the heart out of this team. We are not the Lakers, We are not the Heat. We blue collar boys down in a white collar city. If you get in the cracks of Houston you'll find nothing but grit. So let's take one more season to think about it. Maybe Yao retires, maybe he copmes back witha vengence Melo will be a free agent, make him sign a tenderd contract, so we will know how long he'll be here, for fear of giving up and losing in the same season. Everybody, AND I MEAN EVERYBODY got that Lebron-itis in them right now. It's jumpy. In some situations the best thing to do is wait. Patience everyone. Patience.

The problem is though, that said Star isn´t as bright as we would like him to be and he comes at the position of greatest strength for the Rockets (wing) and does nothing for their biggest void (PF).

I know, I know Scola is no void. But an upgrade on the PF spot yields more results than at SF at the moment. So unless we get him for two cents on the penny, don´t do it.

At the moment the player the rockets need most is someone in the Garnett, Rasheed-prime, Nowitzki with D mold. A PF who rebounds, defends and has a face up game.

Bosh wasn´t that player but he was closer to it than Carmelo. (Although Melo is clearly the better player of the two)