Melo is not anywhere near prime Kobe's level.
Problem for the Knicks is that Melo and Amare are very similar players, not just in that they both suck at defense, but also because they both love to isolate, almost from the same spot on the court, and take their man off the dribble or pull up for a jumper. That's their bread and butter and it doesn't work well together. It's similar to the problem Bron and Wade had teaming up, the difference being that Bron and Wade are elite players a step up from Melo/Amare, and have superior court vision and passing/playmaking ability to make up for it. It's going to be really hard to win a title with Melo/Amare as your 1 and 2, even if you fill out the roster, and especially with the East being so top heavy and Chicago, Boston and Miami being around the next couple of years.
I said it when it happened, but what makes the Knicks look really bad is that the Nets landed a better player in DWill just a few days later, and gave up less. We'll never know for sure, but I don't see any reason that the Knicks couldn't have gone after Deron and made up a package that the Jazz would have been happy with. Williams would have been a much better fit with Amare running pick and rolls, but it seems the Knick front office and fanbase were so hell bent on having the "hometown kid" (even though he grew up in Baltimore lol) come home and be the next Bernard King. I still think the Knicks HAD to make a move to get Melo, but everything Dolan and Walsh did was played poorly. They would make terrible poker players.
