New York Knicks: Why They Need to Trade Carmelo or Amar'e

Defense wins championships. It’s an age old cliché that still rings true today. The New York Knicks have seemed to disregard this phrase when building their team.

The two big name players they decided to build around, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, are highly explosive on the offensive end, but show no effort defensively.

Anthony and Stoudemire are making about $33 million combined per season. However, the results have not matched the money the team is paying these two players as the Knicks have a losing record since Anthony joined the team midway through last season.

The main reason why Anthony and Stoudemire haven’t gelled together is because their games are so similar. They are both shoot first players who stall ball movement and have no desire to give their all on defense. It’s fine to have one prolific scorer who does virtually nothing else, but having two creates a challenge for your team.

The Knicks struggled at the beginning of this season in most part due to their lack of chemistry and defense. Then Carmelo got hurt and point guard Jeremy Lin surfaced from the scrap heap. The team went from watching Carmelo and Amar'e, to sharing the ball and getting everyone involved. Even the defense seemed to get better during this time as everyone was willing to exude their energy for the good of the team.

The talented Knicks were putting things together. They went from a border line playoff team to one that many believed could make a run to the Eastern Conference finals. Everything was working because players had defined roles. Lin was the floor general, Amar'e was the athletic scorer, Tyson Chandler was the defensive anchor and emotional leader, Steve Novak was the three-point specialist and JR Smith was the streaky scorer off the bench.

For the first time since Carmelo and Amar'e joined forces, the Knicks were an actual team. The real question was could the team continue their emphasis on team-first basketball when Carmelo returned.

So far the answer has been a resounding no. The Knicks are just 2-8 since Anthony has returned to the lineup, and the team just isn’t the same.

Jeremy Lin, who had been playing at an extraordinary level, now appears to be hesitant. The change in the team is obvious to any Knicks fan. Without Anthony, the team was playing with a team first, unselfish attitude—now the team has lost their offensive rhythm, as well as their improved play on the defensive end.

It’s quite apparent that the combination of Anthony and Stoudemire isn’t going to work. Many are patiently waiting for things to come together, but it most likely will never happen.

The team needs to improve their defense as well as their ball movement on the offensive end, and this will be hard to do with both Anthony and Stoudemire on their roster.

The Orlando Magic have been looking to deal star center Dwight Howard, and the Knicks would be a strong fit.

Howard, the NBA’s three-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year, would instantly improve New York’s defense with his athleticism and elite shoot blocking ability. Having a force like Howard in the middle would make life easier for the players around him.

Howard’s presence on the offensive end also would help the team immensely. He is constantly double teamed by his opponent and this would open up Knicks' players for wide open jump shots. Having Howard on their team would also improve the team’s offensive rhythm as he will open the floor for his teammates and is not someone who demands the ball like Anthony and Stoudemire.

If the Knicks dealt Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu’s horrific contract, wouldn’t it help both teams? Howard is almost certainly leaving the Magic at the end of the season anyway, and Stoudemire and Chandler are the best package Orlando can get for Howard.

The combination of Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony just isn’t working for the Knicks. The team would be wise to trade one of these two players and attempt to build a more team orientated squad.