NBA Trade Rumors: Why Carmelo Anthony Would Be a Horrible Fit With the Knicks
Carmelo Anthony recently claimed playing in Manhattan, not Brooklyn, would be a dream come true. But if Melo is smart, he should have his sights set on somewhere else, Los Angeles maybe. Although the Knicks are very appealing, they do not make much sense for either party.
Yes, a trio of Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton and Amar'e Stoudemire would make the New York Knicks an offensive juggernaut, but they would still be missing too much to seriously contend for a title.
Here are a few reasons why Carmelo would be a horrible fit for the New York Knicks.
No Room For Improvement
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In order to get Carmelo to New York, the Knicks will have to give up young quality players with potential and draft picks. Therefore, if the Knicks add Carmelo, they will still need a few quality players to truly contend for a championship.
With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement approaching, the Knicks may not be able to add another big name player, leaving the Knicks little room for improvement, and less talented than the East's elites.
Lack of Depth
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The Knicks would have to package Wilson Chandler, promising rookie Landry Fields, draft picks and possibly Danilo Gallinari. That is simply too much to give up for Carmelo. The Knicks would then have to reduce their rotation to seven or eight guys.
The Knicks are a young team, but if they have intentions on making it to the Finals, they have to preserve their stars as much as possible. Without a bench, Melo, Felton and Stoudemire would have to play 40 plus minutes a night.
More Talent in South Beach
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Raymond Felton, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudamire would definitely make an intimidating offensive trio.
But I do not think it has the same effect as hearing LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Not to mention, the Miami Thrice would be head and shoulders above the Knicks three defensively.
The Atlantic's Second Best
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Since the Knicks would still be a middle of the pack team and most likely finish fifth in the East, they will need to win their division if they hope to get home court in the first round of the playoffs. That would be the only chance the Knicks would have to beating any of the teams mentioned in the previous slide.
But the Atlantic Division also includes the Boston Celtics. So you can just forget everything I just said because they will not come close to finishing ahead of Boston.
Championship? Not So Fast
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Carmelo would not make the Knicks a serious championship contender. The addition of Carmelo to the Knicks may make them better than the Atlanta Hawks, but I can not imagine the Knicks beating the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat in the playoffs.
The Offensive May Not Be Conducive To Carmelo
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Although Felton does not dominate the ball as Iverson did during his brief tenure in Denver, the Knicks are a pick and roll centric offense. That means a lot of standing around the three-point line for Carmelo. Carmelo is at his best with the ball in his hands on the high post or the wing, because it allows him to utilize his strength and athleticism to get to the rim or shoot over smaller defenders.
Carmelo would have to operate more in catch and shoot situations as Felton and Stoudemire run the pick and roll. Such standing around would cause a lack of interest in the game and right now the Knicks thrive off of the energy Landry Fields and Wilson Chandler bring on the offensive by chasing down offensive rebounds and providing second chance scoring opportunities.
A disinterested Carmelo will not bring forth that type of energy and effort. Thus, Carmelo would be detrimental to the Knicks style of play.
Carmelo a Sidekick?
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Sharing the ball would not be new to Carmelo. Carmelo played with Allen Iverson for two seasons. Despite their regular season and the success they had together, they lost eight of nine playoff games over two seasons. In those two playoff series, Carmelo seemed disinterested at times as Iverson dominated the ball.
How would Carmelo like playing Robin to Stoudemire's Batman. I would assume not much. Allen Iverson was clearly on the decline when with Denver and Carmelo was the No. 1 option.
The same cannot be said for Stoudemire. Stoudemire revived the Knicks, and the Knicks are his team. That may not sit too well with Carmelo.
Defense Wins Championships
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Defense wins championships, haven't we heard that before. Mike D'Antoni has never been a defensive-minded coach. With the addition of Carmelo, they will only get worse. Although Carmelo has not been known for his defensive prowess at times, he has played spirited defense against the likes of Kobe Bryant in the 2009 Western Conference and in head-to-head match ups with LeBron James.
With that being said, a coach needs to motivate Carmelo to concentrate and perform well on defensive end.
Mike D'Antoni is not the guy.
