New York Knicks: 5 Scapegoats for the Team's Slow Start

Despite an impressive win against the Utah Jazz, let's call a spade a spade; thus far, for a variety of reasons, the New York Knicks have played laughable basketball.

Is there still hope? Of course, but it doesn't begin and end with the premature sensation that is Jeremy Lin.

There is a plethora of wrongs the Knicks must right moving forward in order to meet expectations. Many are quick to point a finger at what they believe is the underlying problem, but to accurately do so, one would have to point more than one.

New York doesn't just have a single quandary to resolve, and consequently, there are numerous individuals responsible for the Knicks' early struggles. 

Mike Bibby

At 37 and averaging only 14 minutes per game, it seems absurd to place any blame on Mike Bibby's shoulders, yet in reality, it's absurd not to.

Bibby was not brought in to play 35 minutes a night or to score 20 points per game. Hell, he wasn't even brought in to dish out a wealth of assists. He was, however, brought in to handle the duties of a true point guard when called upon, and he hasn't.

It was logical for Mike D'Antoni to see what he had in Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert as a starting point guard first. They are younger, more athletic and capable of change, but when the Knicks needed a seasoned point man who knew how to pass the ball and direct Carmelo Anthony out of isolation, Bibby was the one they would turn to.

New York certainly turned to Bibby early on, but he did anything but deliver. Not only did he fail to run any pick-and-rolls, which come as second nature to points, but he facilitated Anthony's iso-oriented style of play.

No one was expecting an All-Star performance out of Bibby, but they were expecting him to do what is supposed to come naturally.

Jeremy Lin's breach of the rotation is a great story, but if we are to be brutally honest, had Bibby done his job, Lin would not have broken the bench.

Amar'e Stoudemire

Condolences must be extended to Amar'e Stoudemire after the sudden death of his brother in a fatal car accident, and at the risk of going too easy on him, the Knicks and their fans should take solace in knowing his faults are the easiest to correct.

Stoudemire needs a true point guard to excel, but this is a reality he has not had the pleasure of living for the first month-and-a-half of the season. In Jeremy Lin's brief stint as New York's savior, his greatest attribute is his willingness to look for Stoudemire on the pick-and-roll, which is where he is most effective.

Without the threat of the pick-and-roll, Stoudemire has been forced to settle for jump shots and create for himself from the top of the key or further out, less-than-favorable circumstances to say the least.

While it sounds as if this is out of Stoudemire's control, it isn't.

Despite Carmelo Anthony's presence, Stoudemire remains a leader, and it took him much too long to call out the rest of his team. A player in his position has to be an offensive focal point, and if he isn't, he has to say something.

Stoudemire's struggles are not the beginning of the end, but instead, a sign that the soft-spoken side of Stoudemire must become less prevalent.

Mike D'Antoni

For those who religiously follow my coverage of the Knicks, you already know that I'm an advocate of the three-pointer and a firm believer in the notion that defense doesn't always win championships. That being said, I have not exonerated Mike D'Antoni for his part in this abysmal start to the season.

D'Antoni is not known for preaching defense. His strong suit is a high-octane offensive system, which the Knicks have always thrived in until now.

While open shots continue to carom off the back of the rim, D'Antoni has hurt New York with his inability to find the right mix of players. He has attempted to separate Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, followed Toney Douglas into the seventh circle of NBA hell and even allowed Anthony to set up camp, isolation style.

As a head coach, it's his job to keep his players motivated and on board with his concept, and he has struggled to do that thus far. Recently, his players have become a source of support, but the chemistry issues haven't gone anywhere.

Once again, Jeremy Lin's story is a great one, but his presence on the court was a sign of desperation, not a hunch.

Forget about D'Antoni's distaste for defense. The fact is, you do not become a head coach without any knowledge of the subject, and D'Antoni can be found preaching it alongside Mike Woodson.

D'Antoni's role in this stretch of awful stems from timid leadership. He has to take a more direct approach and will his players to improve. 

Currently, calling for his job is more than premature, but if he is unable to establish his voice in the locker room soon, that won't be the case.

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony has put points on the board, but he has struggled in his dual role as a scorer and facilitator.

Anthony's passing abilities are severely underrated. He has a keen eye when he needs to, but in his eight-plus years in the league, this is the first time he has been asked to use it.

The main problem with Anthony is his struggle with balancing the two. He needs to both score and pass, not choose one on any given night.

The solution? Getting on board with Mike D'Antoni's concept of offense. Anthony has to keep the ball moving and make quicker decisions. If the shot or open lane isn't there, get rid of it, but if the opportunity to score presents itself, then take it.

D'Antoni, both out of respect and ignorance, allowed Anthony to try to run the offense his way, via countless sets of isolation. What did that get the Knicks? A one-way ticket out of the Eastern Conference's top eight.

The sooner Anthony fully, not partially, devotes himself to this system, the sooner the Knicks can turn their season around without looking back. These game-by-game transformations followed by regressions aren't going to cut it.

Not so ironically, the Knicks live and die with Anthony's success—not necessarily success in numbers, but in unifying himself with his teammates.

James Dolan

We all know that Carmelo Anthony is partially to blame for the king's ransom the Knicks relinquished in exchange for him, but owner James Dolan is even more responsible.

Anthony's refusal to wait until free agency put New York in a bind, but Donnie Walsh was prepared to wait the Denver Nuggets out. He had toiled with the idea of parting with Wilson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph, but he never went beyond posturing, believing Denver would eventually take a similar offer.

Instead, Dolan got involved, and the Knicks were forced to part with four starters and more. Raymond Felton is directing the Portland Trail Blazers offense now, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov are thriving with the Nuggets, and Wilson Chandler will be a starter for Denver, or another team, after his CBA obligations have been met.

Anthony is a player you can build your franchise around, but had Walsh been able to operate freely, the Knicks would have been left with additional building blocks to place around him upon his arrival.

But Dolan hit the panic button, and consequently, Walsh was shown the door. So, New York not only gave up four key pieces, three of which may have been unnecessary in exchange for Anthony, but it shafted the man responsible for putting the Knicks back on the map.

Oh, and let's not neglect to mention any remaining assets, specifically Felton and Mozgov, could have been used to obtain Chris Paul over the offseason.

Bravo, Jimmy Dolan.

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