Loud chants of ‘boos’ seem to be the norm at Madison Square Garden. The most legendary court in the game of basketball has turned into a playground made for visiting teams. Turnovers, selfish plays, lackadaisical defense and sluggish effort have plagued the Knicks from the start of the season. New President Phil Jackson is trying to change the culture in New York hiring 5x champion Dereck Fisher to lead the way, but it will take a team effort to find success on the court starting with all star Carmelo Anthony.
Carmelo Anthony is widely regarded as a top 10 player in the NBA. He’s had multiple playoff runs, a slew of all star appearances and a scoring title. He was one of the most sought after free agents this off season but ultimately signed a maximum 5 year deal to stay in New York. There is also a no trade clause in Melo’s contract which mattered to him because he said “he wants to retire as a Knick.” The organization believed Melo could be there shining star and lead them to success in the playoffs. What they didn’t expect was lack of leadership and friction between Melo and other players.
On the offensive end the Knicks are a pretty good team. With Melo at the helm averaging 23 points per game, they can always buy a basket. But the Knicks suffer on the defensive end a great deal. Knicks allow 50 percent shooting or better and are very lethargic when defending as a team. “It all starts with your best player” says tv analyst Skip Bayless. Fans think the same way and have pointed the finger at Melo. After the Knicks lost to the Charlotte Hornets with a game winning lay up that happened right in front of Melo, fans believe he shows no effort on the defensive end. As seen in the game, Melo did not exert any energy by attempting to foul or block Kemba Walker in the play. Anthony has always gotten flack for not playing any defense but he’s always been able to hide behind big shot blockers like Chris Anderson and Tyson Chandler. Now that neither player is there to help on defense, Melo has been exposed.
Chris Brussard has reported many players in the Knick locker room arguing with Anthony stating he isn’t a team player and doesn’t play defense. Other analysts have complained of him not helping players around him get better which are qualities of a great leader, ones that Anthony doesn’t exhibit. With all of the drama going on off the court, it has spilled onto the court. The Knicks have started the season with its worse record in franchise history and players faces are clearly indicating they are not happy with Anthony. Its been seen on camera rookie Tim Hardaway yelling at Anthony to play defense. In power rankings, Anthony did not make the top ten this year. Bloggers say “he must prove himself as a leader on the court and help others elevate there games.”
Although Anthony does shoot quite a bit, in his defense there aren’t many players who can put up points for the team. Melo says “he knew he would get the bulk of the blame” but the question is “does he deserve to be blamed?.” There has been talks of Anthony potentially lifting his no trade clause. Even if he decides to do this, the chances of Anthony being traded are very unlikely. With comparisons to the likes of Lebron James and Kevin Durant who both average 4 assist or better, Anthony is the franchise player and needs to find a way to be better.
Blog By Medina Parrilla
Image courtesy of Keith Allison – Flickr License