Carmelo Anthony: 5 Reasons He Won't Succeed With the New York Knicks
Carmelo Anthony has come out and said he will only sign an extension with the New York Knicks.
This ends all speculation that he could end up with the New Jersey Nets, the Chicago Bulls or even the Charlotte Bobcats.
Now, Anthony has forced the hand of the Denver Nuggets. They will either have to accept whatever deal the Knicks offer, or let Melo go after the season for nothing.
Fans in New York gave Anthony a standing ovation when he was introduced before the Knicks-Nuggets game. They really want the superstar forward to play in their city.
But, they should have some concerns about a potential deal.
Here are five reasons Melo won't succeed if and when he ends up with the Knicks.
5. Eastern Conference Style of Play
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The best Western Conference teams feature Al Jefferson, Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan and Tyson Chandler at center.
The best Eastern Conference teams feature Shaq, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah and Al Horford at center.
The point?
The Eastern Conference is much more physical than the Western Conference.
So far this year, the Nuggets are only 4-5 against the Eastern Conference, with one of those wins coming against the New Jersey Nets.
Melo's style of play is better suited to the finesse style found in the Western Conference.
4. The LeBron-Wade Theory
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If Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire team up in New York, will it be like LeBron James and Dwayne Wade joining forces in Miami?
The Heat are much better when only one of the superstars is on the court.
If Melo and Stoudemire team up, will they play well together, or steal each other's thunder?
3. Lack of Defense
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Anthony doesn't really play a whole lot of defense on the basketball court.
The Knicks are already one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, allowing nearly 107 points per game.
Plus, they already have the best scoring offense in the NBA.
Therefore, Melo would hurt the defense more than he would help the offense.
The Knicks are riding an eight game winning streak, and seemed to have found the right formula. Melo might ruin that formula.
We've seen teams that are all offense, no defense before, and they haven't fared well in the playoffs.
Amar'e Stoudemire's Phoenix Suns teams never won a championship, despite making the playoffs nearly every year with their run-and-gun offense.
Then there's the Warriors, for whom playoff appearances are even more rare and even less successful.
The all-offense model is fun to watch, but it doesn't equate to championships.
2. Too Much Scrutiny
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Anthony has been in and out of the tabloids for negative things despite playing in Denver, a city with relative privacy.
If he came to New York, every aspect of his everyday existence would be put under the microscope. Though his wife wants to come to New York, Anthony hasn't shown he can handle even a small media market.
The transition to the largest media market in America might negatively affect his on-court play.
1. Amar'e Stoudemire Is the Scorer on the Knicks
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Stoudemire is averaging 26.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this season.
Anthony is averaging 23.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Those numbers are very similar, meaning Stoudemire and Melo have very similar skill sets.
Both of them are scorers first and foremost. That's how they succeed and that's what they are programmed to do.
Putting both of them on a court together is probably going to hurt them more than it helps them.
Who will be the main guy in crunch time? Who will take the last shot? How will they co-exist?
These are all questions we've heard before, when a certain someone decided to take his talents to South Beach.
