New York Knicks: 10 Reasons the Melo-Amar'e Pairing Is Destined to Fail

Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire are two of the top players in the NBA and they just happen to play on the New York Knicks.

The idea of putting stars on the same team seems like it would be a good idea, but the stint in New York has been less than great. The Knicks finished last season as the sixth seed in the East and went a step down this year to finish seventh in the conference.

From the outside, this seems very strange and does not make much sense. However, when taking a closer look it is easy to see just why the pairing of two big NBA stars has not worked out quiet the way it was supposed to.

It is also easy to see why this whole idea of a "superduo" will not amount to anything in the future.

Both Players Need the Ball in Their Hands

Both Amar'e and Melo are used to having the ball in their hands and being the lead scorers on their team. Now that they are together, that mentality becomes a bigger problem.

How can two dominant scorers expect to be just as dominant when they are on the same team? They both need to give up possessions and basically take turns.

However, then another problem arises, and that is the fact that they both still have three other people on the floor and need to give them the ball as well.

For a coach this is a nightmare, and a solution to this seemingly easy problem is yet to be found.

Both Players Don't Like Passing the Ball

I am going to go off the last slide and focus on what each player does when he has the ball. Simply put, they both try to score.

Amar'e and Melo are not guys that like finding open teammates and getting the ball to them, but are more of a last stop. You give one of them the ball and there is a pretty high chance a shot will be attempted.

What this translates to is limited chemistry between the two stars and they cannot improve into one cohesive unit. The rest of the team gets affected as well, and when watching the team it is clear they have not yet "gelled."

Different Playstyles

Before coming to New York, Melo was one of the most unstoppable scorers in the league. He specialized in isolation players and often posted up as well.

Amar'e was a pick-and-roll specialist who used his athletic abilities to finish at the rim and would also go out for a mid-range jumper that he can still hit consistently.

However, when the two players joined together, they could not play their game as well or as often as they would prefer. Stoudemire could not really run the pick and roll with Anthony and Melo could not run his isolation plays and post-ups.

It became very difficult for both players to do what they wanted to do, and they had to edit their game styles. This is not something that can be fixed because both All-Stars are already developed and used to doing their own thing.

They will not reinvent themselves over an offseason because they are simply too different. It is something that really was lost in the hype when the two first arrived in New York.

Need Teams Built Around Them

Both in Phoenix and Denver, the teams were perfectly made for Amar'e and Melo. They could each do what they are best at and both teams saw success.

They are clearly not comfortable out of their element ,and I am sure both would love to go back and stay where they were and continue their momentum.

Give Amar'e a pick-and-roll point guard and some shooters around him, and he will thrive; give Melo a team with good shooters and solid defense, and he will be good as well.

The two cannot be mixed and matched.

Both Play Poor Defense

Neither of the two players is known as a defensive-stopper and for good reason. They are both below average at covering their man or disrupting plays.

Defense is the key for any team to be successful, and it is especially important come playoff time. When the two stars on the team do not play defense, it becomes an issue and winning games becomes a lot harder.

Scoring is only half of the game, and the other side of the court is the one that wins championships.

Neither Is a Proven Leader

Carmelo and Amar'e have not shown any leadership qualities during their careers and were never really the heart and soul of their teams.

In Denver, Chauncey Billups was the leader and George Karl was a strong coach whom the team could really get behind. In Phoenix, Steve Nash was the captain of his team and Amar'e was more of a sidekick.

In New York, there is really no clear leader, and even when Billups was there, he could not really bring the two stars together. Melo and Amar'e can't simply work things out because they are not good enough leaders.

That is as big a factor in their struggles as anything else, and it will continue being a problem.

They Attract Major Media Attention

Two big NBA stars on the same team in the biggest market in the world are bound to attract a lot of attention, and it has. The Knicks have been a favorite of the media since their new team has come together and nothing positive has come of that.

It is very difficult to effectively solve problems on the team when every move is analyzed and broken down and when every little rumor becomes a big headline.

A team cannot solve its problems when everyone is watching and when every internal matter is made public within the hour. While it is not the reason for why the Knicks are not working, it is a factor.

The attention also is bound to get bigger, especially if the Knicks continue performing below expectations.

Tend to Take Plays off

When watching both Amar'e and Melo on the court it seems as though they are not always giving 100 percent and that they sometimes want to save a little energy for after the game.

That is a very poor attitude and, again, it is one that both players share, which makes it an even bigger problem. One cannot make the other work harder when he is not giving it all himself.

The big reason for why they tend to not try is...

Character Issues

To be fair, this is more of a problem with Melo than it is with Amar'e.

Melo has had multiple problems off the court and in the locker room over his career, and the type of presence he has is never a positive for a team. The saying "one bad apple spoils the batch" is appropriate here.

The best player on the team tends to be the role model for the younger players, and Melo does not make for a great role model. Amar'e, while better, still has a huge ego and can make some questionable decisions.

Overall, neither player is a great presence for this team.

Two Expensive Players

This year alone the duo cost the New York Knicks more than $36 million, and that number is only set to go up next season. When two players are worth that much money it becomes very difficult to surround them with quality players.

Considering all the flaws in this pairing that I have presented in this article, it becomes easy to see why this amount of money spent is troubling.

The two players cannot coexist, and yet their contracts are almost certain to keep them in New York. That will only lead to more disappointment, and as badly as I am sure the fans want it, the championship is not coming to the Big Apple any time soon.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a comment down below with your thoughts!

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter @DannyDukker.