NY Knicks Rumors: Notion That Carmelo and Amar'e Cannot Coexist Is Incorrect

The New York Knicks are fresh off an embarrassing loss to the Memphis Grizzlies with the Oklahoma City Thunder next on the docket, yet this is no reason for the basketball world—including TNT analysts—to abandon ship.

New York's recent struggles can be attributed to their need for a true floor general, and not the inability of stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire to coexist. The two can coexist, but they need a point guard to distribute touches and direct their position to do so.

Criticism surrounding Toney Douglas is unwarranted to an extent. He has always been best served in a sixth man type role, and to ask him to bring an offense with two heralded superstars together less than 10 games into the season was unrealistic.

On the Iman Shumpert front, he still has so much to learn. The rookie provides pure energy, but he is overly aggressive on offense, and to ask him to direct an offense with two stars to satisfy is more absurd than asking Douglas.

The Knicks need Baron Davis back, and even then, nothing is guaranteed. Davis can be seen going through non-contact drills prior to tip-off, so the effort will clearly be there, but this isn't the point guard of a few years ago, but rather an older and much more battered version.

That being said, any additional solution at this point will be welcomed. Anthony is best served alongside a point guard who knows when to feed him the ball, and he thrives off of open looks created through others' penetration.

Stoudemire, on the other hand, is in desperate need of a pick-and-roll partner. While he can create for himself, he cannot do so every time he touches the ball. He needs a facilitator who will dish a leading pass, or give it to him down low for post-up set.

Those prepared to jump ship, or proclaim that the Knicks are light-years away from contention are misguided. As Alan Hahn of MSG Networks notes, any true point guard can run Mike D'Antoni's offense. New York just lacks such a presence right now.

So forget about the Stoudemire for Dwight Howard trade rumors. Forget about Iman Shumpert's 5-20 from the field. And forget about chastising the Knicks' defense. The true issue is at point guard. New York has a combination of young and inexperienced athletes directing their star-studded offense most of the time, and that's an impossible situation.

Tyson Chandler's presence has changed the defensive culture for New York, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, his acquisition didn't necessarily make the Knicks better, just different. Chauncey Billups is a proven facilitator, but New York opted for defense. That's not an improvement; it's a choice.

The Knicks and their fans cannot panic just yet. There is a need for a sense of urgency, a need for someone else other than Iman Shumpert to take blame for losses and a need for a point guard, but there is no need to give up hope.

After years of planning and maneuvering, all of a sudden Anthony and Stoudemire aren't enough. That's absurd. These are two of the best athletes in the game in need of a savvy and experienced distributor to utilize and mold their talents together. Stoudemire's and Anthony's job is not to force the action, it's to let it come to them. Without a true point, they are unable to do that.

So for those ready to leap off the Knicks' bandwagon, and onto TNT's, remember that pairings of this magnitude take time. National analysts, like many fans, are impatient and don't take the proper perspective.

New York's display against the Grizzlies was simply awful, but prematurely deeming the Stoudemire and Anthony pairing a mistake, is one itself. 

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