Why Carmelo Anthony Must Take Lead Role Back from Jeremy Lin

Carmelo Anthony has watched Jeremy Lin assume a role that was his at the beginning of the season, that of the primary leader.

And it's time for him to take it back.

Anthony has watched the Knicks flourish under Lin and flounder under him, yet that's a reality he has the power to change.

Regaining the lead role has nothing to do with playing the point forward again. There is a difference between running the offense through Lin and allowing Lin to run the offense, a notion that Anthony has come to acknowledge. 

What Anthony must do is re-establish himself as the one his teammates look to when searching for an answer. Thus far, his presence, along with his career lows of 20.2 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting, has yielded more questions than answers.

That's what has to change, and there's never been a better time.

With Amar'e Stoudemire (back) and Lin (knee) providing the Knicks with a slew of uncertainty, this is Anthony's opportunity to bestow clarity. 

New York is entering the last legs of the season clinging to the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot. Amidst a heap of adversity, this is a time when the team will either collapse or persevere.

For the latter to become a reality, Anthony has to take over.

He doesn't have to score 30 or more points per game or be an overly aggressive facilitator. He just has to lead.

Linsanity has been great for the Knicks, but this is uncharted territory the new-found prodigy isn't capable of navigating the team through.

Anthony has never won a championship—hell, he's hardly had any extensive postseason success—but he's a proven performer.

And that's exactly what this Knicks team needs down the stretch, a leader who can preach and exude conceivability in what is rapidly becoming an impossible situation.

Anthony's leadership has improved by great leaps and bounds over the past two weeks, evident through his mid-court huddles after whistles, his energy while on the bench and his complete devotion to helping this team win, even if it means he isn't scoring in volume.

That's the first step in retaking the leadership reins from Lin, the right way. The next is proving this is the new Melo by continuing to adjust his game to fit the needs of the team down the stretch. 

Reshaping his priorities and taking control of this team provides Anthony with the opportunity to reinvent himself, aid the Knicks in their search for an identity, and most importantly, salvage what's left of a season that has become all too familiar for New York and been uncomfortably foreign for the star.

Anthony is banged up like the rest, but he's going to play through it. With so much at stake—the playoffs, respectability, his reputation—he has to.

The Knicks need his experience, they need his star power and they need his new-found sense of accountability and leadership.

Even more than they need the overnight phenomenon that is Lin.

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