NY Knicks: Is a Coaching Change Needed to Tame Carmelo Anthony?

In Game 2 of the Boston-New York series in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, Carmelo Anthony scored 10 of his 42 points in the paint, and 10 from the foul line. And in the sweeping game of the series he scored 12 of his 32 points in the paint, and again, 10 from the foul line.

In the other two games, Melo scored 15 points each night and shot a horrid 3-of-11 combined from downtown. Even worse, he only shot a combined 9-of-14 from the line. Anthony's established himself as an efficient shooter, but is it safe to say he's beginning to rely on his jumper a bit too heavily?

Back in Denver, Coach George Karl had Melo in a system: If he posted up 10 times and took 10 free throws, the superstar scorer could take 10 shots of his choosing. But it seems as though under this "shoot first" system of Mike D'Antoni, Anthony has drifted from his scoring ways.

Melo's clearly an elite NBA player. Arguably the best scorer in the NBA, watching Anthony with the ball is like watching a season's worth of 1000 Ways to Die. He can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket, he can shoot the mid range, and he's developed into a deadly three-point shooter. But the way he's been playing lately reminds me of Ben Gordon's ball-hoggish ways back in Chicago and in Detroit.

With Game 1 on the line, Melo chose to jack up a contested three-pointer rather than put the ball on the floor and create a mid-range shot where his percentages are much higher. Had coaching circumstances been different, he may have been inclined to take a higher percentage shot and salvage his team's playoff hopes.

What am I saying?

Coach Mike D'Antoni's had his fun, but it's time for him to go. The Knicks play no defense under his supervision, and Carmelo Anthony has become a loose cannon, jacking up the first obscure look he gets at the rim. It's time for a change in New York City. I don't know who would be a good fit, but a defense-oriented coach would be the best bet.