Knicks basketball

The New York Knicks will play the Miami Heat on the road Friday night without star forward Carmelo Anthony, and another loss for the team might force management to think harder about making a coaching change this season or in the summer.

Head coach Mike D'Antoni is an overrated coach, always has been. Before arriving in New York, his Phoenix Suns teams played very well but always were eliminated in the playoffs because they could not play the defense necessary to beat great opponents deep in the postseason.

D'Antoni has never been a good defensive coach, and he certainly hasn't been one in New York. The Knicks are 19th in rebounding, 20th in opponents' field-goal percentage and, despite all their offensive talent, they rank just 15th in points per game.

The Knicks won't win an NBA title with D'Antoni at the helm, and there is one person who would be perfect for the job, former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson.

Per CBS Sports:

Whether Dolan makes an in-season coaching change—something he historically has opposed—or waits until after the shortened season, it is clear who the logical candidate would be to take over at MSG. Some telling comments from former Lakers coach Phil Jackson to the New York Times recently caught the eyes of several rival executives and coaching industry sources who are convinced of two things: Jackson, 66, has the itch to return, and the Knicks might be the only job that would lure him back.

Later in the article:

"The feeling is, all Dolan would have to do is ask, and Phil would say yes," a person connected to the former Lakers coach told me this week.

If Dolan wants Jackson to come back, and he's willing to coach again, you have to believe D'Antoni would be immediately let go. The opportunity to bring in a head coach with unbelievable experience and knowledge is not something that can be passed on.

Jackson has dealt with many stars in his coaching career, some with massive egos like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. He can handle the intense pressure of winning in a large market and enjoyed great success with the Knicks as a player back in the 1970s.

It's no secret Jackson was fond of his time in New York.

While insisting, "I have no desire to coach," Jackson said in the next breath, "You never say never, right?" He acknowledged, "Without a doubt, New York is special. Why wouldn't it be? When I was there, it was one of the greatest times to be in New York. I mean, the Mets, Jets and Knicks won championships all in one year."

Jackson would improve the Knicks at both ends of the floor. His triangle offense is complicated, but with an elite scorer in Carmelo Anthony and two quality big men in Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, running the triangle would work in New York.

The tiring schedule the NBA is playing through this year thanks to the shortened season would not be good for Jackson's health, but when the league is back to normal next season, Jackson might think about returning to basketball.

Jackson is a voice that the players will listen to and respect, and his ability to win with star players in large markets is a skill few coaches have.

The Knicks are in a win-now scenario and cannot afford to have their championship window close too soon because the coach is unable to get the most out of his players.

D'Antoni is a good coach, but he isn't a championship-caliber coach. If Phil Jackson is willing to come back to New York and coach next season, Dolan would be incredibly foolish not to offer him the job.

Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter.

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There are a lot of theories out there about how the New York Knicks can be fixed.

One is to fire Mike D'Antoni. Another is to trade Carmelo Anthony. Another is to trade Amar'e Stoudemire. Another is to simply wait for Baron Davis to return and act as the Knickerbockers' savior.

Then there's the "Go get Steve Nash!" movement, which has been in place for over a year now and has yet to fully die down. In fact, the notion that the Knicks should make a deal for Nash is still rather prevalent. The Knicks desperately need a point guard, and who better than the guy who used to play for D'Antoni and with Stoudemire?

There is a growing sentiment in Phoenix than Nash needs to be traded. Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic wrote a column about it this week, saying, "The Suns must trade him soon, before he can turn a flawed, talent-deprived team into something mediocre."

Nash himself told ESPN.com's Marc Stein earlier this month that he's not about to demand a trade, but that's not going to quell the desire in and around New York for Nash to be dealt to the Big Apple.

One of the latest examples is a Friday column by Shaun Powell of NBA.com. Powell admits that a trade for Nash "might cure" the Knicks, but only in the short-term. Nash is getting up there in years, after all.

There is, however, a rather obvious problem facing the Knicks, one that Powell restricted to parentheses, "They're short on tradeable assets, though."

This is not exactly a secret. The Knicks dealt their best assets to the Denver Nuggets to get Anthony last year, among them being players like Raymond Felton and Danilo Gallinari and a handful of draft picks. They gave up everything they had, and it's pretty obvious now that they made a stupid deal.

To get Nash, the Knicks would have to make a similar deal. Stein noted that the Suns would look to get "multiple difference-making" assets for Nash in a deal, which is something even they are pessimistic about. There are teams out there who could make a deal like that, but none of them have come forward and the Knicks are not and can't be among them.

And no, a straight-up Melo-for-Nash or Stoudemire-for-Nash trade wouldn't work. At least not according to ESPN's NBA trade machine.

In reality, nothing would work. This is an idea that cannot and will not become a reality.

We should therefore do ourselves a favor and stop talking about it. 

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Things have gone from bad to worse for the struggling Knicks. Their chances of beating the Heat in Miami just went from slim to none, as New York will be without the services of its leading scorer on Friday. 

According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Carmelo Anthony will be kept out of action for Friday's game against the Heat in Miami. 

Carmelo's shooting has been abysmal, but this is a terrible break for the Knicks, at least as it relates to their chances in this game. Anthony is far and away their best offensive player. More importantly, he plays a style that would have given the Knicks their only real chance at an upset. 

Without Carmelo, New York will be stuck playing Amar'e Stoudemire's running style against Miami. While that is extremely fun to watch, it will be a recipe for disaster in this one.

LeBron James is too fast to allow that to consistently beat them, and their offense is too good to give to give the extra possessions to. Now James and Chris Bosh will get the ball more, allowing Miami time to show off their superior overall team. 

With Carmelo, they could slow the game down, play more of an isolation style, limit Miami's possessions and grind out a win. 

That is not an option anymore, meaning that this game will get ugly. 

Now, I am not saying that the Knicks should go out and play Anthony. He is in a terrible shooting slump, and this injury could easily have something to do with that.

Their chances of righting the ship, getting back into the playoff race and then winning in the playoffs are going to be dependent on Anthony. If he isn't at full strength, the Knicks might as well pack the season in right now. 

So keeping Carmelo on the bench to give him time to heal is a good move. Forcing Anthony onto the court isn't going to help his injury and could possibly hurt it long term. 

But if we're analyzing the Knicks' chances tonight, they are nonexistent. Without Carmelo, this game is going to be a one-sided affair. 

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The New York Knicks have lost seven of their past eight games, and one of the biggest reasons for that has been the shooting slump of star small forward Carmelo Anthony. Melo managed only one point against the Charlotte Bobcats two games ago, but that may have to do with a multitude of injuries.

Anthony is currently nursing thumb, wrist and ankle ailments. The Knicks could certainly use him when they take on the Miami Heat tonight, but indications are that he will sit the game out. According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida SunSentinel, Carmelo won't be suiting up on Friday night.In addition to that, Howard Beck of the New York Times is reporting that Anthony will also miss the Knicks' game against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, according to comments made by under-fire head coach Mike D'Antoni.Being without its star player is the last thing New York needs at this point, but it is abundantly clear that Carmelo is not himself right now. Perhaps a little rest will go a long way and ultimately be a good thing for the Knicks over the long run.

Anthony has been trying to fight through the pain, but it has ultimately become too much for the four-time NBA All Star, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.Continue to check this article in the coming days for updates on Anthony's injuries and whether he will be able to return on Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons.

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Throwing out Amar’e Stoudemire’s three game 2005-06 season, he’s averaging less points (17.8) than he has since his rookie season, way back in 2002-2003. He’s four points per game below his career average and 7.5 points below last year’s average in his first year with the Knicks.

Not only is his scoring down, but his field goal percentage is off-the-charts down. We’re talking more than 10 percent below is lifetime 53.4 percent shooting. The shooting woes run deep in New York.

Only two players (Tyson Chandler and Landry Fields) getting significant run are above 47 percent. Fields is at 47.1 percent so even that isn’t entirely impressive. Of all the players to bounce back, Amar’e has the best odds.

Also uncharacteristic of Amar’e Stoudemire is his lack of blocks. At 0.5 bpg, he is only getting about a third of the blocks per game that he has got over the course of his career. Eight blocks in 16 games just isn’t cutting it.

It’s not a lost season by any means. Sure, the scoring isn’t the same, but 17.8 isn’t bad. Neither is a 8.4 rebound per game average. Assists have never been his strong suit, but he is averaging a career high 1.2 steals.

Obviously getting Stoudemire isn’t going to be cheap. He’s still a huge name and it’s early enough that his owners may not be quite frustrated enough. His past eight games are helping your cause though.

During that stretch he has as many 20+ point games as he has single-digit games. His scoring average is 14.6 ppg and his rebounding average is 7.8 rpg. He’s shooting 41.7 percent during the stretch.

To make matters worse, he’s averaging 3.8 turnovers during the eight games, with at least five turnovers in half of the games.

His owner may not be willing to move him right, but I bet he or she will listen. Given Amar’e's track record he’s a good bet to rebound. If you can get him at a discount, all the better.

Also check out:

• Jordan Crawford Heating Up
• Fresh Prince of Motown
• Jodie Meeks or Kyle Korver for Three
• Udonis Haslem Hits the Boards
• Byron Mullens Scoring Big

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New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony's injury problems are not going away and, according to Ira Winderman of the Florida Sun Sentinel, he will be out for tonight's game against the Miami Heat. 

Anthony has been dealing with these injuries virtually all season and it has affected his performance on the court. 

This news would not be that bad if Anthony's injuries were the only problem facing the Knicks right now. Even his comments to Marc Berman of the New York Post could be psychoanalyzed as a sign of something deeper. 

The Knicks have spent a lot of money in the last two years trying to build a consistent winner in the eastern conference, yet they are sitting at 7-11 right now. They are showing no signs of turning things around. 

The offense, which was supposed to be the team's specialty, is averaging just 94.5 points per game. They lost by 10 points to Cleveland on Wednesday by scoring just 81 points. It was another pathetic outing for this team in a season that has been filled with sad efforts. 

The roster has no depth to speak of, which puts more pressure on Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert and Tyson Chandler. If any of those players struggles, the team is not going to win. 

All of these problems could end up costing Mike D'Antoni his job, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports. If that happens, the team would have to learn a new system in mid-season while they are trying to get back into playoff contention. 

There is no hope for this team right now. Anthony's injury woes aside, they are just not very good. They backed themselves into a corner by putting so much stock in Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler, that they forgot to put together a team. 

It is going to be a another long, cold summer for the Knicks as they sit at home during the playoffs. 

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Head coaches in the NBA are a lot like reality television shows: They serve no purpose, yet a lot of people seem to think they are a big deal. The New York Knicks are dealing with a lot of problems on their roster right now, so it would make sense that Mike D'Antoni would be on the hot seat. 

According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, there is a candidate out there who would be at the top of the Knicks wish list if they do fire D'Antoni. 

Whether (James) Dolan makes an in-season coaching change -- something he historically has opposed -- or waits until after the shortened season, it is clear who the logical candidate would be to take over at MSG. Some telling comments from former Lakers coach Phil Jackson to the New York Times recently caught the eyes of several rival executives and coaching industry sources who are convinced of two things: Jackson, 66, has the itch to return, and the Knicks might be the only job that would lure him back.

The Times article that Berger references does include some interesting quotes from Jackson, but he did say that he has "no desire to coach."

Of course, right after he said that, he talked about how special New York is and how that place means to him.

“Without a doubt, New York is special,” he continued in a vein a little more encouraging for Knicks fans. “Why wouldn’t it be? When I was there, it was one of the greatest times to be in New York. I mean, the Mets, Jets and Knicks won championships all in one year.” 

So what do the Knicks do?

We know that they are going to be forced to make a panic move if they keep struggling, but it is going to take a lot of money and freedom to convince Jackson to come back. 

That said, this franchise is going to enter an interesting time after this season. They could make a run at Dwight Howard or Deron Williams, if for some reason they don't stay with the Magic and Nets, respectively. Obviously, Jackson is going to want to come to a situation that is on the verge of winning a title. 

The Knicks have to prepare themselves to win big soon and D'Antoni's style of play doesn't lend itself to winning championships. 

Jackson will be able to put the pieces together because he does that wherever he goes. If the Knicks want to compete for a championship soon, their best bet will be to dump D'Antoni soon and go after the Zen Master. 

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Steve Nash isn’t going to win an NBA championship with the Phoenix Suns.

And since he’s getting towards the end of his career, he deserves a chance to play for a title.

Therefore, the Suns should trade their aging star out of respect for him and what he’s done for their franchise.

There are several NBA teams that would immediately become strong championship contenders if they were able to land Nash.

Let’s take a look at three of those teams now.

New York Knicks 

The Knicks have an awesome front court, featuring Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler.

But, the problem is, they don’t have anyone to feed the ball to those stars.

Iman Shumpert and Baron Davis simply aren’t the kind of impact players needed to lead the Knicks past the first round of the playoffs.

Getting Nash to run the floor and feed the scorers the ball would not only improve the Knicks’ playoff chances, it would also most likely save coach Mike D’Antoni’s job.

Los Angeles Lakers 

Imagine a starting lineup that includes Nash alongside guys like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

That’s a championship lineup. Nash can get Kobe the ball anywhere on the floor, making Kobe’s shots higher percentage shots.

When Kobe is shooting open shots, he’s deadly. Adding Nash might increase his per game average to 35 points per game.

Plus, improving the scoring from the point guard position will really help this year’s Laker squad.

Derek Fisher and Steve Blake simply aren’t going to lead the Lakers to the Finals.

Orlando Magic 

If the Magic can get Nash and pair him with Dwight Howard, the Magic will skyrocket in the standings.

Nash, Jason Richardson, Ryan Anderson and Howard would be a formidable group to try to stop.

Nash could drive into the lane and either shoot, pass to Howard for a dunk or kick it out to Richardson or Anderson for an open three.

If the Magic can get Nash for Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson, they should do it in a heartbeat.

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When the Knicks travel to Miami to take on the Heat on Friday, they have only one chance at winning. 

They must slow the game down, running their offense through Carmelo Anthony. If the Knicks get into the Mike D'Antoni, Amar'e Stoudemire game of running the floor, the Heat will get too many possessions, their stars will get too many shots and the game won't be close. 

Getting the ball into Carmelo's hands will not only help minimize what Miami can do, but it will also mean New York is running the offense through its best overall offensive player and leading scorer. Generally speaking, that is a pretty good key to success in any game, but especially when you're playing the Eastern Conference's best team. 

Ultimately, this comes down to Miami, and keeping the ball out of their hands. A fastbreak offense will result in plenty of Knicks points, but that's only half of the battle.

On the Heat you have LeBron James averaging better than 29 points a game, Chris Bosh averaging nearly 22 and possibly a returning Dwyane Wade and is 19.6 points a night. Going with D'Antoni's classic "seven seconds or less" model will give the Heat the ball far too often. Especially at home, they will establish offensive supremacy, which will eventually overwhelm the Knicks. 

As important as it is to minimize Miami's possessions, the Knicks also must depend on Anthony for offense.

The only way for an team like the Knicks to win on the road against a team like Miami is to let their best player go crazy. We know that Carmelo can score. After all, he's averaging 23.6 points a game, nearly six points better than Stoudemire's average. 

If they rely on Amar'e, they will need not only him, but also the guards to run the floor and get him the ball in motion. That is going to bring the rest of the team into the game too much. That is an obvious advantage to the Heat. 

With Carmelo, New York can turn the game into more of an isolated affair, minimizing the overall advantage that Miami clearly has (even without Wade).

Running seven seconds or less will be a lot of fun to watch, but it won't give the Knicks even a small chance to win. The Knicks' only chance is to slow the game down and run through their best player. That means we should see a heavy dose of Carmelo.

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What if I told you there was a blockbuster trade on the table that could surpass the Carmelo Anthony trade last season?  Of course the trade would be headlined by Dwight Howard.  Where would he land you may ask? THE NEW YORK KNICKS!

Those are words from a highly credible Stephen A. Smith. The man has been around for a while now, so I am sure he has developed relationships with numerous sources. Now can we trust that this particular source is credible?

The trade does make sense for both teams, especially at the moment.  Orlando knows that the reward for trading Howard is much greater than the risk of losing him for nothing.  The Magic also know that New York may be desperate at the moment with their 6-10 record.  They are vulnerable and might take the chance at Dwight, even at the risk of losing Stoudemire and Chandler. 

Amar'e has been struggling lately, and it is clear that he isn't the player that the Knicks were committed to signing last season.  It is also very clear that he cannot coexist on a team with Carmelo Anthony, evidenced by the benching of one of the superstars so the other can get more touches.  Amar'e makes sense for Orlando because he is a superstar that will fill the seats, especially in his hometown. 

Reports suggest that Magic owner Rich DeVos is nagging general manager Otis Smith to gain a valuable return.  A valuable return that can compete this year. At 85 years old, DeVos knows that the time is now for his Magic.  With an exchange of one big man for two, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy would have the opportunity to utilize half court plays. 

Personally, I think Dwight Howard would be able to successfully coexist with Carmelo Anthony.  He is a scorer down low, whereas Melo would be able to set and shoot, or even drive if he chooses.  Dwight Howard automatically brings in defense, arguably more than Chandler and Stoudemire combined.  Dwight does not need the ball to be successful, whereas Amar'e does.  Not only would you have to worry about Anthony's lethal shooting, but on the occasions that he misses you have Dwight under grabbing the offensive rebound and scoring.

Looking further into the situation, if the Knicks would agree to this deal, cap space is available to bring in the point guard they so desperately need.  Can any of you say Deron Williams? I know I have my hopes up but imagine Deron running the pick and roll with Dwight in Madison Square Garden? A trio of Williams, Anthony, and Howard is looking REALLY GOOD to me.

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I've read the surveys and I've seen that Kris Humphries is public enemy number one, but if you're a Knicks fan I think we have a new representative for that political party. Carmelo Anthony is beginning to irritate all those New Yorkers that thought, "Maybe, just maybe this is going to be our year." Aren't we a bit far from the truth there?

Since Melo dawned upon us in his No. 7 Knicks jersey, New York is 20-23 during the regular season. If that doesn't say enough about the Knicks team, the Nuggets, after acquiring everything but Spike Lee last season, are 29-13. Does anybody else see the problem here?

Why is it that we have a person of superstar caliber, combined with another superstar in Amar'e Stoudemire, but can't compete night in and night out? That's right, because all we have left is Spike Lee and Madison Square Garden. Our bench has depleted over the last year. You don't need a great bench to win games—just ask the Houston Rockets—but you need players that can score and play defense! So we give up defense in Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari for another scorer in Anthony? Someone read the book on successful franchises wrong.

Now the Knicks are in a deep, dark hole that I'm not sure if they'll climb out of. We desperately need a point guard to run the pick and roll with Amar'e. Raymond Felton and Stat perfected this in their short time together. Wilson Chandler was a solid sixth man coming off the bench and filling a void. He could shoot or drive. Now our sixth man is Toney Douglas. Did Bernie Madoff hit the Knicks too? Finally, we had a forward in Danilo Gallinari that perfected perimeter shooting. Put all that together and we had a supportive cast, a team!

Although I am a Carmelo Anthony fan, it's frustrating watching the Knicks take a beating, both home and away. We lost to the LeBron-less Cavs for crying out loud! How did they do it? With unselfish team play. The media coverage and social networking sites portray the Knicks as Carmelo's team, but let's not forget Amar'e made the jump with no guarantees for success, and he made it happen until Anthony joined prior to the trade deadline. It might be time for Stoudemire to step up and take control because at the rate New York is going, they are destined for doom.

Did Carmelo Anthony cost the Knicks too much? Well not necessarily. As I mentioned, we managed to keep Madison Square Garden, Spike Lee, and Mike D'Antoni (see my sarcasm here?). The latter part might be gone soon, especially if he can't get his team above .500. Not only did Melo cost too much, but he might cost D'Antoni his job.

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The New York Knicks are like a Rubik's cube. There are so many possible combinations of players and offensive and defensive approaches and plays and focal-points that a genius is required to solve the problem.

This is no child's game.

Is Mike D'Antoni the genius, or is he the child? Does he have the coaching talent to get this talented Knicks team figured out?

Lets look at what D'Antoni has to work with. He has Carmelo Anthony, one of the premier scorers in the modern game. He has Amar'e Stoudemire, a top-five power forward and he also has Tyson Chandler, the center who took the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Championship last season and has been described as the glue that got the Mavs the title, as well as his loss being blamed for Dallas' struggles this season.

Surrounding this core, the Knicks have a melting pot of role players, rookies and veterans, all with different skills and attitudes.

The Knicks took point guard Iman Shumpert in the 2011 NBA Draft, a solid pickup who was selected to fill the backup point guard role behind whomever the Knicks picked up to start. The problem here is that said starter, Baron Davis, has been injured and is not expected back until early next week.

This has thrust Shumpert, a shoot-first point guard (a la Derrick Rose), into the limelight of leading D'Antoni's offensive system. With Anthony and Stoudemire on the floor, the Knicks offense must go through one of these two given their huge offensive repertoires.

So Shumpert shoots just as much, if not more, than these two. Perfect solution.

The trouble for the Knicks (and this may turn out to be all on D'Antoni) is that they don't seem capable of applying subtle changes in emphasis. After Shumpert's shoot-a-palooza in which he took more shots than Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler combined, 'Melo then shot 30 a few games later.

Totally out of control shooting from a player who is good, but 30 shots is offense-killing, not offense-driving.

It was all isolation plays for Anthony and the rest of his team was reduced to four guys standing around watching 'Melo's series of up-fake/jab-step/pull-up jumper possession after possession. In a four-game losing streak, Anthony shot 35-of-105, meaning an average of 17.75 missed shots per game.

Can you win this way? Is it a solution to the Knicks puzzle? No.

D'Antoni and Anthony both admitted they had to change how the offense worked. Next time out, the Knicks beat the Charlotte Bobcats (an awful, awful team) by 33 points, yet 'Melo scored just a solitary point in what many media outlets and hoops experts ironically labelled his "best" game as a Knick, as he passed the ball well and all seven of his shots were the right basketball play.

Is this the problem in New York? That they seem incapable of making small adjustments and only seem to swing from one extreme to another?

The ideal ground would be to have Anthony shooting about 15 to 20 shots every night, only reaching the upper figure in those close games or when he's dominating his matchup.

On to the next piece in the puzzle: Amar'e Stoudemire. The trouble with Amar'e, it seems to me, is that he, like Carmelo, requires the majority of the shot clock to establish himself and get up a good shot. The pair also play at completely different paces - Anthony is much more fluid, shooting off the dribble from anywhere on the court at any time in the shot clock.

Stoudemire's game is best accentuated by running through plays to get him set up deep in the lane, where he can bully his way inside for the easy, high-percentage shots.

This incompatibility was unforeseen when the Knicks brought Anthony to join Stoudemire in the Big Apple. Could it be that the two simply cannot coexist the same way that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol can?

If you're a Knicks fan, you better hope not.

The hopeful solution comes in the form of currently-injured Baron Davis. He is an expert point guard adept at running the offense at a high tempo—the sort of offense Mike D'Antoni is trying to force onto the Knicks.

His experience could come in handy, too, as part of a New York club that has little recent playoff experience and very little winning playoff experience. Davis knows how to handle to pressures of the playoffs and of a fanbase desperate for some success.

I feel sorry for Mike D'Antoni, who is a fantastic coach. He has been thrust into a job in the most sports-obsessed market in the country to manage a team with two massive egos with massive pressure to win now.

His offensive philosophy is good, but whether it fits this team is questionable.

What has New York fans really worked up is the team's shocking attitude towards defense. There are times when the Knicks put together a run of defensive plays that halts the opposing team, but plenty of these are down to missed shots rather than forced turnovers/misses. Carmelo Anthony has a reputation as a bad defender, but this season he has taken it to new levels, allowing players to blow by him and failing to communicate to teammates.

D'Antoni is regarded as an offensively-minded coach and perhaps this has something to do with the lackadaisical performance on defense. The addition of Tyson Chandler was supposed to bring a new level of defensive toughness to the team. However, thus far, the Knicks are still losing games by bunches both home and away.

While saying all of this, the New York Knicks are not too much worse than last year, record-wise at least, as they were 42-40 and are currently 7-11 (a couple games below .500, but ultimately recoverable).

It is also important to remember, in this condensed season, that things can take much longer to take shape as the lack of practice bites, meaning teams with deep-running problems have even more trouble ironing them out.

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During a commercial break of MSG’s Knicks broadcast last night, a Budweiser ad came on. You’ve probably seen it—the one where patrons drinking at the bar are participating in a word association that finishes with the guy saying, “My cute neighbor Sarah.”

Well, it got me thinking. If I were to survey random NBA fans and ask them to describe Carmelo Anthony in as few words as possible, what would they say?

The answer to that question could be particularly biased depending on whether or not you’re an Anthony endorser, but even given the propensity for partiality, there are essentially two statements on entirely opposite sides of the spectrum that would dominate the replies:

1. Anthony is one of the best if not the best pure scorer in the NBA.
2. Anthony is a selfish ball hog who only cares about scoring points.

While response No. 1 has a positive connotation and No. 2 is anything but, they both are byproducts of Anthony’s tendency to take too many shots. And therein lies one of the Knicks’ most significant problems among a cornucopia of them that have contributed to an entirely unacceptable, implausible 7-11 record and 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

Preseason expectations may have been slightly unrealistic, but even expert analysts were convinced the addition of Tyson Chandler automatically put New York in the same conversation with the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. And competing with the Boston Celtics—who blew the Knicks out of the building during last year’s playoffs—goes without saying, doesn’t it?

Not exactly.The Knicks did serve up some Christmas joy with a bit of vengeance against Boston to open the season, but it’s been downhill ever since. In fact, excluding a victory over Philadelphia on the back end of a four-game winning streak, New York has failed to beat a team with more than six wins.

Already a quarter of the way through the season, and the only opponents the Knicks have taken to task can be found in the basement of the league’s standings. They say “you’re only as good as the company you keep,” but the Knickerbockers have no one to blame but themselves.

Anthony is an easy scapegoat, but the root of the team’s issues is more than meets the eye. Offensively, the entire squad is in a funk, and it’s become a vicious cycle.

When Anthony forces shots, less movement occurs among his teammates, and the offense becomes stagnant as they watch him go to work. On the other hand, when Anthony has been unselfish, the team has generally struggled to put the ball in the basket. As a result, Anthony—being that he is the first option—has no alternative but to resort back to one-on-one isolation out of desperation to score.

Taking into consideration that, to date, Anthony is shooting a putrid 39 percent from the field and that the Knicks aren’t much better as a unit (42 percent), it is apparent that Anthony is not solely responsible for this cataclysm.

However, he is an unbridled contributor, and the overall success of the franchise ultimately rests squarely upon Anthony’s shoulders.

Not only are the Knicks currently four games under .500, but they are four games under since Anthony’s arrival last February. The excitement surrounding the team’s first playoff berth since 2004 created a facade last season, but what may have been masked then is now plain as day; the chemistry between Anthony and his counterparts is virtually nonexistent.This has nothing to do with a flawed coaching philosophy on Mike D’Antoni’s behalf. He’s supplied his men with the tools to succeed, but the execution aspect of it is beyond his control.

As a leader and New York’s most gifted player, Anthony must come to the realization that if the Knicks are ever going to meet the lofty goal of a deep playoff run—or championship no less—it will not happen with him carrying the load game after game. When you’ve approached the sport you love the same way for as long as you can remember, altering your style for the betterment of the team is extremely difficult.

Nevertheless, Anthony may have had a moment of clarity Tuesday night when the Knicks crushed the Charlotte Bobcats by 33 points for their most lopsided win of the season. Having sunk a measly free throw in what was the lowest-scoring outing of his career, Anthony filled up the box score in other ways. He grabbed 11 boards, dished out four assists and matched his point total with just one turnover.

This may have been the wake-up call he needed, as a humble Anthony spoke to reporters after the game of his effort to get his teammates more involved and restore belief in themselves.

I needed a night like this where I didn’t have to do too much and we still won the game by a lot. I needed a night like this when I score one point and we win by 20.

I just wanted everybody to get back their confidence. I told you the other day I was going to do a good job of getting guys more involved. I did that tonight.

It’s hard to tell if Anthony’s comments were sincere, but it’s going to take a lot more than a post-game interview to silence his harshest critics. The process of persuasion will have to be accomplished on the court.

For Anthony to adjust his game overnight is utterly impossible, but he’s certainly done a fine job selling it over the previous two contests.

After jacking up 30 shots in a double-overtime loss to his former team, Anthony has gone a combined 5-of-21 for 16 points over the course of the past two games in which the Knicks are 1-1. He’s also averaged 7.5 rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, Amar’e Stoudemire and Landry Fields are beginning to find a groove, and Tyson Chandler is exhibiting the kind of unforeseen offensive production that comes as a bonus to his rebounding and defense.

Provided Anthony’s new outlook isn’t a short-lived fad, the Knicks will experience a resurgence as everyone hits their stride.

All the great ones could score, but it is the other facets of the game in which they excelled that set them apart from the rest and make them the greatest of all time. Michael Jordan was an exceptional defender, Karl Malone was an extremely efficient rebounder and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a relentless shot-blocker. In addition to being well-rounded, they were perennial winners.

If Carmelo Anthony intends to be mentioned in the same breath as these legends one day, he’ll need to put forth maximum effort in other areas besides scoring as well. Otherwise, he’ll be brushed aside along with the Bernard Kings of the world when the next generation comes along.

It’s all up to him.

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Since Iman Shumpert has showed some signs of excellence in his rookie season, I thought it would be cool to look back at the other first-round picks the Knicks have drafted that have actually done well in the NBA with the Knicks.

The Knicks became apart of the NBA in 1949, however the Knicks hadn't got a real gem until two big stars came in 1967, one who was drafted in 1965 and another one who was drafted that year, 1967. Everything went right in the 1960's to 1970's but after that, even one of the best centers in the league couldn't win a championship after getting drafted first overall.

The Knicks could probably have done better selecting first-round picks, but they did find a few gems throughout the years.

***Look out for the Top 10 busts coming soon!

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The New York Knicks have had a rough go of it for sure through the first quarter of the NBA season.

The good news is that all the problems they've had early on can be fixed.

It's a simple formula for the Knicks. Passing the ball to the open man and getting better looks at the basket will result in wins.

We saw some of that last night in a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats, which broke a six-game losing streak.

Don't get to excited about that performance, though. The Bobcats are awful. The Knicks should do that to teams like Charlotte.

Much of the problem so far has been the lackluster guard play.

That gets better by default with the Knicks debut of Baron Davis.

While I don't view Davis as the savior for the Knicks, he is what he is, and he's an upgrade.

The offense as a whole should run much smoother once Davis is able to play major minutes. He's a guy that will make sure the ball moves.

Movement is the key for the Knicks offense to have success, not only ball movement, but player movement.

Carmelo Anthony has taken some heat lately for taking too many shots, and he has, but the point is that Anthony knows he needs to get his teammates involved more and will do exactly that. But when there are four guys standing around watching Anthony shoot the ball 25-30 times per game, what exactly is he to do?

That's why having Davis in the lineup will pay dividends. The Knicks need a guy who can quarterback the offense. Davis will make sure both Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire are both getting their shots.

He's a guy that will keep everyone involved, but can also knock down enough shots on his own to keep the defense honest.

Davis knows tempo as well, which is very important. He knows when to push the tempo and when to slow it down. The current Knicks guards don't know how to do that.

But the biggest thing is that the ball and the players on the court will move.

Will we still see Melo-Ball and a ton of isolation sets? Absolutely. That's his game.

But take a page from the Lakers and Kobe Bryant over the years. Bryant's game is based on isolation, but his teammates are consistently cutting and setting screens. If it's not there, Bryant makes a play for someone else.

That's what Anthony can do, but it requires everyone else on the court not standing around every time he touches the ball.

The Knicks will get it figured out on the offensive end. They have too much talent not to.

At the end of the day, though, it all depends on movement. New York averages barely over 18 assists per game, and that's not an acceptable number.

The more movement and open looks generated because of it will lead directly to more wins.

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In a battle of two Eastern Conference teams headed in the same direction, the struggling New York Knicks will take their show on the road to battle the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The Knicks were thought to be contenders this season after acquiring Tyson Chandler to plug the middle, but their high-powered offense has failed to support a stronger defense. 

The Cavaliers started out the season 6-6, and optimism was running high. Four straight losses, including a 39-point drubbing from the Chicago Bulls, have taken some of the shine away from them. 

Where: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio

When: Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7:00 p.m. EST

Watch: MSG Network (New York); Fox Sports Ohio (Cleveland)

Live Stream: NBA League Pass

Betting Line: New York (-3)

Key Injuries 

Knicks point guard Baron Davis is getting closer to making his season debut. According to Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday, he could be available for tonight's game. 

Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson missed Tuesday's game against Miami with an ankle injury. There has been no update on his status for tonight's game as of this writing. 

Knicks Player To Watch: C Tyson Chandler

Chandlers is coming off his best game as a member of the New York Knicks. He scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds against Charlotte on Tuesday. His presence in the paint on both sides of the ball is critical to the success of this team. 

Of course, if he is overshadowing Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire for too long, then the team is in trouble.

Cavaliers Player To Watch: PG Kyrie Irving

The only reason to watch the Cavaliers is Kyrie Irving. The only reason they have six wins right now is because of Irving. He has been everything this franchise could have hoped for him to be when he was taken with the top pick in last June's draft. 

Everything that the Cavaliers do runs through Irving. He needs to have a big game scoring and passing for them to have a chance in this game. 

What They Are Saying

Carmelo Anthony took a different approach to helping the Knicks win on Tuesday. He took one shot, scored just one point, yet the Knicks defeated the Bobcats by 33 points because everyone else was able to get involved. 

After the game, he said that it was a calculated move to see how the team would respond and it could be a sign of things to come.

“I just wanted everybody to get back their confidence,” said Anthony. “I told you I was gonna try to do a good job distributing the ball, getting other guys the ball. I think I did that.”

Key Matchup: Kyrie Irving vs. Knicks Defense

The Cavaliers don't have any playmakers on offense besides Irving. He has made everyone around him better, even reigniting Antawn Jamison's career. He is going to have to put together a double-double in order for the team to stop their four-game losing streak. 

The Knicks have been much better defensively this year compared to last year. They will be loading up to stop Irving, and the outcome of the game will be determined by how well they are able to do that. 

Prediction

The Knicks are starting to play better, while the Cavaliers are struggling to make shots. 

Knicks 97, Cavaliers 88

Follow @adamwells1985

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Prior to last night's thumping of the Charlotte Bobcats, it's been a rough go of things for Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.

Yet, in what may have been the Knicks' best offensive performance of the season, Anthony was held to a career-low one point.

It's true that he vowed to pass more and he did that last night, but don't expect the Knicks to have that type of success without Anthony being a big part of the offense.

While it's debatable how big of a role Anthony should have in the offense, one thing that's not debatable is that he needs to stop being a black hole in the Knicks offense.

Things are different in New York for Anthony.

At Syracuse, he was the undisputed man of the team. The same can be said for his time in Denver as well.

However, with the Knicks, he doesn't have to be that guy and that's something he needs to learn.

Sure, there will be times when Anthony needs to take over a game, but he needs to be wise in doing so.

The Knicks offense can't continue to come to a halt when he touches the ball, especially in the fourth quarter.

Anthony at times can be a black hole with the ball in his hands. It sucks the entire team in as they get stuck standing around, watching him chuck up over 30 shots per game.

The Knicks have too much talent to be that team.

It's not good for Anthony the player or the Knicks locker room. It's also not good for Anthony to make comments like he did after the loss to Denver on Saturday in which he indicated that he doesn't really care if he gets booed.

That type of thing can humble a man quickly though, even a superstar such as Anthony.

A superstar isn't just a guy who can take shots and score a lot, which Anthony can do. While scoring is a big part of it, a real superstar is a guy who can dominate a game in multiple ways.

Anthony can do that. He needs to do that. He will do that in the future.

If he does, this Knicks team will start to roll.

If he doesn't, and if continues to be a black hole, it could be the death of this team for the season.

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