New York Knicks: Is Melo Becoming New York City's New Scapegoat?

What's that thing they're always saying about New York City sports? If you can win here, you can win anywhere.

That statement continues to ring true every single year, and whether their teams are winning or losing, there's probably not a more dedicated or opinionated fanbase than the one in New York. In this town, winning isn't a question, it's something that's expected.

And if you can't win, you might as well hide, because you will never hear the end of it from this city. 

Because seriously, if the team's not winning, somebody needs to be blamed, right?

We've seen it time and time again in New York. The most recent example of this was Alex Rodriguez. A big-name player, brought in to produce and win championships for the Yankees. For more than five years, A-Rod couldn't bring the Yankees to that promised land that they are expected to get to every single season, and boy, did he get reminded of that every single day. 

As time passed, so did the fans' animosity towards the big-name player with an even bigger contract. It left A-Rod clearly rattled, and shaken, which only made him play worse and made New York hate him even more. Soon, it seemed that New York would never respect or accept the big leaguer as a true Yankee. Even two MVP awards couldn't stop A-Rod from getting destroyed.

Then, in 2009, the Yanks finally got their ring. Not only that, but Rodriguez actually played a huge part in getting that ring. Needless to say, all was quickly forgiven, and now, no matter what happens in his career, A-Rod will always be a Yankee, and a champion. 

These days, a new scapegoat may be starting to emerge in New York, only this time he plays for the Knicks.

Knicks fans are more hungry for a championship than ever. They have to be. They haven't seen the finals in 13 years, and they haven't won a title in an inexcusable 39. Now though, they are in the best position to do so since the days of Patrick Ewing.

Currently, Knicks fans may actually be the most passionate bunch in the entire city. After years of failure, the fans finally have something to cheer about again at the Garden. Gone are the days of Isaiah Thomas, gone are the days of terrible contracts and gone are the days of non-playoff basketball.

The Knicks are back, and big things are know expected of them. 

Which means big things are expected of their leader, Carmelo Anthony.

When Anthony arrived in NYC, it seemed like the final piece of the puzzle may have been in place for the Knicks to finally make a championship run again. There's no denying that the Knicks gave up a lot for Anthony, and the fans know that, too. 

Anthony is the newest guy to put the city on his shoulders. He's a megastar who's come over here and accepted what it means to play in New York. He's also aware of all the rewards and punishments that can come along with playing here. He's the leader, the guy who is expected to make the big shot when necessary and the guy who's going to lead this team to greatness.

And if he doesn't? Well, he already has an idea what that's like. This isn't Denver, that's for sure.  

At the lowest point of the Knicks' season this year, Anthony got the brunt of the onslaught from the city's fans and media. Eyebrows were raised when the team won without him, and questions were brought up about Melo's place on the team and whether or not he was even worth keeping around.

Seriously, it was pretty unbelievable how quickly trade rumors emerged around the deadline this season, especially for a guy who hadn't even played a full season with this team yet, and technically still hasn't.

But in New York, that's not an excuse and it never will be. Not when the smoke clears a few years down the road and we look back on what Melo accomplished while in New York. 

Still, Anthony has already proven that he's up for the task. All one has to do is look at how many times he bailed out the Knicks this year, or carried them to a win single-handedly. If anything can be said about it, he passed his first media onslaught with flying colors. 

Melo finally got his first Garden moment this year on Easter, when he took down the East's best, the Chicago Bulls, with amazing shot after amazing shot. He helped the Knicks win their first playoff game in 11 years. He even is the main reason why the Knicks are finally lined up next year to finally knock off the rival Celtics from the top spot in the division. 

If anything, Melo proved that he can be that guy when the ball's in his hands, and for now, that's a great place to start. 

Now Anthony has to win. No matter how well he plays, or how many All-Star selections he gets or how how many awards he may win, it means nothing in New York if you don't bring home the championship.

Even with two other big names and contracts on this team, Melo seems to be the one who pulled the short straw. He's going to have to accept the fact that he's the new 2008 A-Rod, and the only way to get rid of that is by doing something that no Knicks team has done in 39 years. 

Maybe it wasn't expected of him too much this year. But at some point down the road, the Knicks better be raising a new banner at the Garden, or Anthony will never truly be loved by this city while he wears the jersey. 

Just ask Patrick Ewing...he'll tell you all about it.