Knicks Fall to 18-23, Melo Under Fire
Carmelo Anthony has single handedly lead teams to the playoffs for a majority of his career. Dealing with the criticism that he would never win a ring without a big three, the Knicks finally shopped for some talent to assist the aging 9 time all star and their young phenom Kristaps Porzingis. On June 22, 2016 they acquired point guard and former MVP Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls. They followed that move up with the signing of center Joakim Noah on July 1. Though this big 3 did not seem like enough to push the Knicks past the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was an experienced, talented group that was unquestionably one that could bring them to the playoffs for the first time in 3 years. However, as we approach the all star break the Knicks are 10th in the east with an 18-23 record. With another blowout in the books and the Knicks dropping 10 of their last 12 games the questions are asked, how does this season affect Carmelo Anthony’s legacy? Will the Knicks turn it around? Is Melo hurting the team?
I have always been the first one to back up Carmelo Anthony as a league super star even without a ring. To me, the criticism is or was undeserving. Melo statistically has been one of the best players in the league since the day he stepped foot on the court (25 PPG, 7 RPG, 3 APG for his career). He is a 9 time all star, lead the league in scoring in 2012-2013, has averaged at least 20 PPG in all 14 of his seasons (15 including this season), has averaged over 25 PPG 7 times and made the playoffs 10 times. And to be fair, his playoff stats are not half bad (26 PPG, 7 RPG, 3 APG). No one can deny his regular season greatness. As for his overall legacy, it's hard to stand up for an apparent superstar when also on his resume is the worst playoff winning percentage of all time (16-38 record, 31%) and 8 first round eliminations. With that being said, this season may possibly be the most inexcusable of all of Carmelo’s struggles.
The Knicks ownership is still partially to blame though, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah (or Kristaps Porzingis) are not exactly Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Though it is a big three, it may be one of the weakest big threes of all time. Along with that, in his time in New York the coaching staff continues to try and force Carmelo into the triangle offense rather than scheming around their top player’s strengths and weaknesses.
Still, we can’t ignore the fact that Carmelo appears to be hurting this team significantly at times. His FG% is the lowest it has ever been, he is taking more shots now than he was last season, he seems to be done trying to let his teammates help him as he is averaging a whole assist less per game than last year, his defensive effort is sad to watch and Melo appears to be very frustrated as he was recently ejected from a game for the third time this season. He has also recently taken heat from the Knick’s president Phil Jackson who shared his displeasure with Anthony’s ball hog tendencies. He has called this season “unacceptable” which to me is an understatement.
As far as this season’s effect on Melo’s already limited legacy, I think it certainly hurts it more than we realize. As if he did not have a reputation as someone that is not enough of a team player to win a championship, at 32 he now appears to be not enough of a team player to make the playoffs with a talented roster around him.
The Knicks have the talent to turn around a disappointing season to date. If Melo can find his grove or take a backseat to some of the other players on the team, they may do exactly as predicted and stop the New York playoff drought. However, if Anthony does not realize his negative effect on this struggling team, we may continue to see a whole lot of frustration in Madison Square Garden. In what may be his last chance to win a championship, Carmelo Anthony may be the main reason why his most talented Knicks team does not even make the playoffs.