Carmelo Anthony and 5 Stars Who Will Crumble Under Added Pressure

The NBA is a star-based league.

Each team starts just five players, most run no more than 10 or 11 players deep. 

That means one player—one star—can make a huge difference. That also means that if you are a star you will get lots of fame, fortune and glamour if your team wins, but if they lose? 

If your team loses, prepare to reap the lion's share of blame.

Most stars are aware of these benefits and pitfalls. That doesn't mean that all stars will win, though. Every season there are stars with pressure on them to win, and every season some excel under that pressure, others wilt.

Who will rise and who will fall in the 2012-2013 NBA season?

The following stars may feel some serious pressure to win this coming season, and they also may not respond to that pressure too well.  

Joe Johnson: Brooklyn Nets

Joe Johnson is one of those players who has always been able to deflect the bulk of criticism thrown his way. 

Of course most of the time he was deflecting it, he was doing so in Phoenix and Atlanta. 

Now he's in Brooklyn and he's coming in as the starting shooting guard with the biggest salary, in a highly anticipated first season in Brooklyn. 

There's going to be a lot of pressure on all the top players on the Nets. 

Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries were all on the same squad last season. Yes they played in New Jersey, but the fans and media are familiar with them. 

The new guy is less familiar, and he is getting paid more money. 

Joe Johnson is a very good shooting guard, but he's being paid to be great. The pressure will be enormous. Johnson could need a full year or so to adjust. Brooklyn fans are not likely to be that patient. 

Dwight Howard: Lakers/Magic

If Howard remains a member of the Orlando Magic, then it won't really matter. The Magic don't look ready to make a legitimate run at an NBA Title. 

If Howard happens to land in Los Angeles—well, that would change things a bit. 

There is no way Howard can appropriately prepare himself for how his life as a basketball player will change if he lands in purple and gold. He will be on the same roster as Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, and he may also be playing alongside Pau Gasol.

Yes, all of those players will also feel pressure to win, but two of them—Kobe and Gasol—have already accomplished that feat.

Nash has not, but at 38 years old, and having been signed to a reasonable contract that will pay him $27 million over three years, Nash has maturity and tempered expectations on his side (Spotrac).

Howard would have none of those—yes he's coming off a back injury, but Howard would be looking to sign either a massive contract extension or as has been most recently reported by ESPN, a five-year contract as a free agent in the summer of 2013.

When your position is literally "center," it stands to reason that you're going to get attention both on and off the court.

Howard may end up one day winning the NBA's ultimate prize, but next season is going to be a learning experience for him, especially if he finds himself with the added burden of NBA Championship expectations.

Dwight Howard wants out of Orlando, that is no secret, but he may find that the grass is not always greener, no matter where he eventually lands.   

Carmelo Anthony: New York Knicks

It really doesn't seem to matter if Carmelo Anthony plays well or not. 

Unless his team ultimately comes out on top, he gets the blame. 

Last season when the Knicks won while he was injured, the prevailing theory was that it was due to the presence of Jeremy Lin, and the lack of Carmelo Anthony. In fact, people were ready after a mere two weeks to anoint Lin, who at that point had all of 11 NBA starts on his resume as the Knicks face-of-the-future.

Anthony would return, and after navigating the upheaval brought on by a mid-March coaching change, it was Carmelo Anthony—not Jeremy Lin—who piloted the Knicks to a 12-5 finish which clinched a playoff birth. 

In the remaining games, Anthony averaged 29.1 points per game. The Knicks made the postseason and lost the to the eventual champs, the Miami Heat. 

In case you haven't heard, Jeremy Lin actually ended up signing a free agent contract with the Houston Rockets.

I guess contrary to the column from late February, Carmelo Anthony is in fact going to be the centerpiece of the Knicks this coming season. With that will of course come all the requisite blame for any and all negative happenings that are Knicks related.

Will Carmelo literally "crumble" under the pressure? No, but that doesn't matter—people will ultimately blame him for the eventual failings of the Knicks regardless of what he does.

Carlos Boozer: Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose's injury will temper expectations among Bulls fans this coming season. Fans will still want to see a winning product on the court. 

Carlos Boozer is crucial part of the Bulls when Rose is healthy. Without Rose, Boozer's importance skyrockets. So will the pressure. 

No one is expecting Boozer to totally replace Derrick Rose, but considering that fans haven't always been thrilled with his performance in a Bulls' uniform, they probably won't give him much leeway once the season actually stars. 

It seems very likely that Boozer will increase his statistical production in Rose's absence. It also seems likely that in the minds of many Bulls fans, it won't be nearly enough. 

Josh Smith: Atlanta Hawks

Last year, Josh Smith was probably the best all around player on the Atlanta Hawks. He wasn't the highest paid player, or the team's biggest star. 

Those somewhat thankless labels were applied to Joe Johnson—the same Joe Johnson who is now a member of the Brooklyn Nets. 

That leaves Smith, along with his teammate Al Horford, as the two big tickets in Atlanta. 

Smith is a player with a fantastic all-around set of skills, but he's prone to making mental errors when his team least can afford them: a missed dunk in last year's playoffs, bad foul trouble and even a legitimate, but very ill-timed injury. Smith experienced some high-highs, and some low-lows in the playoffs. 

Next season with Joe Johnson gone, Smith will feel added pressure to hoist the Hawks on his sizable shoulders.

It's a task that Smith may very well be up to at some point—that point just won't be next season.  

Blake Griffin: Los Angles Clippers

There is a lot to like about Blake Griffin. 

He's first and foremost, a highlight waiting to happen. One of the league's best dunkers, a mix of quickness, leaping ability and raw power rarely seen in one package. 

Griffin's defense is improving, and his all around offensive game is also improving. 

Griffin still can't hit free throws, though. He still struggles if he can't get a lane to the hoop. He's not great at creating his own shot, especially if he's being defended by another great athlete with size. 

Griffin is part of a dynamic duo in Los Angeles that goes by the name "lob-city." The other half is point guard Chris Paul.

When the Clippers lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, Griffin and Paul both played well. 

That was fine with the Spurs, who seemed content to allow Griffin and Paul opportunities to score, but in exchange try and totally remove their less-skilled teammate from the box scores. 

That resulted in Griffin becoming anxious, and forcing the action on the court. Griffin will mature and improve next season, but in spite of adding Jamal Crawford and Chauncey Billups, there will still be too much pressure on Griffin, and he won't be quite ready to overcome it.