5 Troubling Signs from New York Knicks' First Week

The New York Knicks haven't just looked troubled through their first four games; this hopeful contender has looked like a bad basketball team.

After squandering a 25-point lead in an opening night win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Knicks fell to the Chicago Bulls on a buzzer beater, got pushed around by the Minnesota Timberwolves and reached a new low in a loss to a shorthanded Charlotte Bobcats team.

They have problems on both ends of the floor, in both the first unit and the second. And while the sample size is far too small to justify panic, the issues New York has experienced in these first four games are not new; they popped up last season, but never so intensely and all at once.

Overcoming a 1-3 start isn't a challenge, but addressing the concerns from the first regular-season games could be.

All statistics courtesy of NBA.com.

Ineffective Spot-Up Shooters

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Last season's Knicks were able to space the floor so well because they could field so many threats from beyond the arc. But after shooting 37.6 percent on threes in 2012-13, their percentage has dropped to 29.9 through four games.

Six Knicks are shooting at least two treys per game so far, and of them, only Metta World Peace is close to clearing that 37.6 percent mark so far, sitting at 37.5 percent from deep. Considering he hasn't sustained that level of three-point shooting success since 2008-09, don't expect him to keep it up.

Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton and Tim Hardaway Jr. are all shooting below league-average on a combined 13 threes per game, Melo being the only one who's reached 30 percent. The Knicks need much better from them to replicate last year's efficient offense.

Opposing defenses have been able to pack the paint with impunity because New York has failed to punish them from deep. When the shooters aren't connecting, the rim is that much harder to attack, reducing the Knicks to unsavory mid-range attempts.

Overburdened Carmelo Anthony

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With little team offense to speak of and no J.R. Smith to spell him as a ball-dominant wing, Carmelo Anthony has had to do way too much by himself.

Deprived of shots inside and out of sync on his jumpers, Melo is hitting just 37.1 percent from the field. Those numbers are dragged down in part due to some desperation attempts late in games. Yet they also suffer because defenses can hedge aggressively on the Knicks' superstar without fear of his supporting cast.

His 22.3 field-goal attempts per game are actually right in line with last season's workload. However, those shots are turning into just 23.8 points per game.

In theory, both of these first issues will ease up when Smith returns from his five-game suspension and gives New York another penetrator. However, Smith's shot selection will not do wonders for offensive efficiency, and this problem could persist when Melo and Smith are on the floor separately.

Porous Perimeter Defense

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Smith's return won't save the perimeter defense, which is plagued both in terms of personnel and strategy.

Right now, none of the Knicks point guards can keep up with speedy guys like Kemba Walker.

Only Pablo Prigioni is even an above-average defender at the point, but at age 36, he plies his trade through caginess rather than foot speed. Opposing guards have consistently blown by Raymond Felton, while Beno Udrih has not yet proven himself worthy of significant minutes.

Situationally, Iman Shumpert is capable of covering point guards, but he also has a habit of reaching too much trying to force turnovers. Until he learns to ignore that instinct, he'll get into foul trouble checking the primary ball-handler.

New York's insistence on switching has not made things easier. Knowing none of the Knicks could keep up with the off-ball movement, opponents set screen after screen until forwards ended up stepping out to the perimeter. That left the interior wide open to exploit.

Faulty Big Rotation

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Per Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Tyson Chandler likely suffered a sprained knee against Charlotte. If so, it's unclear how the Knicks will possibly protect the rim.

Chandler had been mobile on defense again, hedging effectively on the pick-and-roll and sliding across the restricted area to provide help. After a bulging disc and other aches limited him last season, the center looked like he was near his 2011 Defensive Player of the Year form again.

That said, the Knicks have no one else who can do what they ask Chandler to do.

Kenyon Martin doesn't have the stamina to fill that role and is prone to fouling when he gets out of position. Andrea Bargnani is an erratic presence on offense and a useless help-defender. And Amar'e Stoudemire is currently registering more fouls and turnovers per game than points.

Given that excuse for depth, New York can't rely on any big in Chandler's absence. In terms of the second unit, that's bad enough, but they may be asked to do much more.

Questionable Coaching

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The players may not be performing up to their potential, but Mike Woodson is not always putting them in positions to succeed.

Rather than acknowledge that the Knicks are at their best on both ends when he plays two point guards in a small-ball lineup, Woodson has insisted on matching size with any given opponent.

Against the imposing Chicago or Minnesota front line, that thinking makes some sense, but starting Bargnani against the Bobcats minus Al Jefferson is illogical.

With Prigioni on the floor instead of Bargs, New York's ball movement and spacing are improved, as is its ability to defend the backcourt. Playing two point guards could solve most of the Knicks' problems, but Charlotte is trotting out Josh McRoberts and Bismack Biyombo, so Woody must go big.

Normally conservative when it comes to his rotation, Woodson has been experimenting like mad so far. When World Peace is ostensibly playing shooting guard in a regular lineup configuration, it's clear the coach is grasping for anything to work.

He still has work left to do to establish a full working rotation, but if he doesn't acknowledge the superiority of his small-ball lineups dating back to 2012-13, his job will be that much harder.