Photo: TSN
- Troy BallardWhen the New York Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony last season in a blockbuster trade, things in NYC were supposed to turn around, but things are slipping, and the team is en-route to a total and complete collapse.
It would seem that with Stoudemire and Melo on the same court, those two should be able to power the Knicks to wins. But that's not the case, and the Knicks are lacking team chemistry, flat out failing on offense, are struggling playing team defense, and have no continuity when the game is on the line.
The Phoenix Suns just handed New York their fourth-straight loss, a game in which Stoudemire and Melo shot a combined 12-44 from the field. The 91-88 loss at home directly reflects just about everything that is wrong with the Knicks, and things have only managed to get worse from last year.
Despite promising better defense this season, the Knicks have failed to improve on the defensive side of the court at all from last year. If anything, they have remained status quo, even if the team is working harder, it's hurting them in games. Due to the bigger focus on defense, (even though there has been no tangible improvement), New York's offensive game has taken a serious shot.
However, the Knicks' offensive struggles could also be blamed on the lack of a true point guard. Rookie Iman Shumpert has been in and out of the lineup with nagging injuries, and veteran Tony Douglas has failed to play up to expectations, leaving New York with a major weakness in their offensive game.
New York did have a very solid point guard in Chauncey Billups, who was acquired with Anthony from Denver, but was cut at the beginning of this season to make room for free agent Tyson Chandler. With Billups released, the Knicks put all of their faith in Douglas and Shumpert, who are generally regarded as more of scoring point guards and are neither is great at setting up their teammates.
It was blatantly obvious that went the Knicks had a point guard like Billups or Raymond Felton, the offense, and especially Stoudemire, played at a much higher level. The lack of a facilitating point guard is killing the Knicks' offensive groove and keeping both Anthony and Stoudemire in limbo on the offensive end.
All of this is compounded by head coach Mike D'Antoni's method of heavy reliance on scoring to make up for weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. The Knicks have the personnel, but the team is failing miserably to execute D'Antoni's game plan and it reflects in the team's 6-8 record.
Some of the blame can be pushed onto the lack of time to plan and practice for the season with the NBA Lockout restricting both players and coaches. However, this excuse only holds for so long, and a team with as much talent as New York should be able to work out the kinks in a few weeks, not a few months.
The mediocrity of how New York has played thus far this season is inexcusable, and the Knicks should be one of the top teams in the NBA. The cause in NYC is not helped by the sudden resurgence of the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Knicks can't afford to be playing from behind the entire season in the Atlantic division.
Realistically, the Knicks have very little time to turn this mess around. With the shortened NBA season of only 66-games, there is almost no room for error. Both Melo and Stoudemire are going to have to step up their game and carry New York until the team can find some stability, and if that means scoring 30+ a night from each of them, that's what it's going to have to happen.
If not, the Knicks could be looking at yet another losing season.
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