NBA Rumors: Baron Davis' Return Will Not Save New York Knicks' Season

The New York Knicks are off to a mediocre 6-6 start to their season, which is well below the high expectations the team and fans had for them when they added Tyson Chandler in the offseason.

They are now going crazy and hoping that Baron Davis’ return from injury will save their season.

According to Marc Berman at The New York Post, coach Mike D’Antoni is looking forward to getting Carmelo Anthony back on the floor and installing Davis at point guard.

This could happen as early as the end of the month, as the former Hornets, Warriors, Clippers and Cavaliers star is making progress rehabilitating a herniated disk.

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“Once I get that approval, I’ll be ready to go,’’ Davis told The Post. “I need to get the OK from the trainers. The approval will come when it’s the right time. I don’t want to be too optimistic. I want to take it day to day.’’

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Even if B-Diddy were to get healthy tomorrow, it’s not going to turn the Knicks into title contenders with the way they are playing right now.

They are scoring a mere 94 points per game, well below the 106.5 they averaged in 2010-11, which got them into the postseason despite having the second-worst scoring defense in the NBA.

Their defense has improved with the addition of Chandler, but their offense is stagnant and that is never a good thing for a D’Antoni-coached team and a system that requires buckets in bunches in order to win.

The problem with the Knicks is Amar’e Stoudemire’s unwillingness to take it to the hoop this season, as Chandler is often floating around in the paint.

His defender seems to scare Stoudemire, who played a lot of center in 2010-11, and forces him to take long, inefficient two-point jumpers.

Carmelo Anthony will often stop the ball and try to break his defender down alone, which slows the game down too much to fit D’Antoni’s system. He’s averaging just 4.3 assists this year and often has the ball in his hands, which will hardly change with Baron on the floor.

If they can address 'Melo’s selfishness and get Stoudemire to make more drives at the basket, the Knicks are going to be fine.

However, they will be stuck in a rut if they keep doing the same things and hope that Baron Davis will somehow change the system when he is starting.