The New York Knicks and 6 Talented Teams Failing Early

On paper, the New York Knicks should be a contender in the Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately for them, the NBA isn't played on paper.

So far, the Knicks have failed as a team, but they aren't the only team in the NBA that should be much better.

Here's a look at teams around the NBA that have the talent but so far have failed.

New York Knicks

Let's begin with the Knicks, where there were high hopes for the season before stumbling out of the gate to a 7-11 start.

They don't move the ball as a team.

In last night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cavs guards Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gibson and Ramon Sessions combined for 16 assists. The Knicks' entire team had 18.

That's been a disturbing trend for the Knicks.

There's also the fact that their Big Three can't co-exist at the moment.

Carmelo Anthony hasn't passed the ball to Amar'e Stoudemire enough, and when Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler are on the floor together, they can't stay out of each other's way.

There are plenty of problems in the Big Apple.

Boston Celtics

Almost every list about struggling or underachieving NBA teams begins with both the Knicks and the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics have had to fight through some injuries and got off to a very slow start.

They've turned it around a bit as of late, but looking at their 7-9 start to the season, they have to be considered a failure so far.

Golden State Warriors

Golden State has talent, but it doesn't turn into wins.

They are undersized and had to deal with the ankle injury to Stephen Curry, but the Warriors should be better.

Being able to start Monta Ellis, Curry and David Lee is a solid core. That's a better three than some teams run out on a nightly basis.

The Warriors shouldn't be great, but they should be winning more.

Washington Wizards

Washington has been awful.

The Wizards have some young talent and should be better than a 3-15 club.

No. 1 pick John Wall's numbers were better last season, and this team can't quite seem to get things figured out.

They've already fired coach Flip Saunders, but it's going to be a long year in Washington regardless of who's on the bench.

Los Angeles Lakers

Despite last night's win against the Clippers, the Lakers' 11-8 start to the season has to be considered a failure.

They've been extremely inconsistent at the offensive end, and their record could be worse without Kobe Bryant's four-game, 40-plus point stretch.

Maybe frustrating is a better word to use with the Lakers than failure, but either way, they probably should be a better team.

Detroit Pistons

The 4-15 Detroit Pistons are another awful team.

It's one thing to be a struggling team that's not winning—it's another thing altogether to have some talent and look like you don't belong on an NBA floor.

Sure, Detroit's talent is young, but they have enough to be closer to a .500 team.

They have good young guards and a solid up-and-coming big man in Greg Monroe, but they can't seem to put solid efforts together.

That's especially true at the offensive end of the floor, where Detroit is the worst offensive and worst rebounding team in the NBA.