Empire State of Mind: Knicks a Contender with Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups?

No.

The New York Knicks may consider themselves contenders, but I imagine they're just about the only ones. The flashy trade made by the Knicks on Monday night has been rumored for a while now, but now that it's over, I'm not sure the Knicks are as improved as most people think.

Here are some reasons why:

5. Defense

Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire may just be the best offensive frontcourt in the Eastern Conference. However, they are also some of the worst big men defenders that are considered stars.

The offensive juggernauts in Miami and Boston will, no doubt, enjoy shredding New York if the Knicks can even go far enough to play the legitimate contenders.

4. Chemistry

Especially this season, it’s hard to imagine ‘Melo and Chauncey Billups just walking in to Madison Square Garden and immediately clicking with Amar’e and Co. We saw this problem in Miami even though the Big Three had an offseason to adjust to each other.

Who will be the guy in New York? Who takes the last shot? These questions need to be answered quickly if the Knicks hope to contend this year.

3. Age

Billups is 34. Stoudemire is 28. Most of the team’s young assets were just traded to Denver for older stars. There seems to be two different generations of players trying to mesh together now for the Knicks.

Maybe the Knicks need to build for the future by swapping Billups for younger pieces to fit around Carmelo for the next seven-10 years.

2. Depth

Like I said before, the Knicks just gave away their best young guns and don’t have a first-round pick for the longest time. This was not a deep team before this trade and now the Knicks have almost no one coming off the bench.

In order to win a championship, a team must have the kind of depth enjoyed by the Lakers and Celtics.

1. Lack of a Champion

Billups will be the only real former NBA champion on this roster. It’s easier to win when you have some rings in your locker room, and the Knicks are definitely lacking in that area. Mike D’Antonio sure isn’t a champion, and Carmelo and Stoudemire have never even gotten to the Finals.

This team is definitely a few years away from serious contention, but that won’t stop the New York media from crowning them today. Free agency will be pivotal to the Knicks in these coming years because they lack draft picks and other assets that could be used to construct a champion.

Maybe Chris Paul, Anthony and Stoudemire can form a Big Three of their own on Broadway. However, this Big Three might face even more problems with depth and chemistry as the Miami one did. Only time will tell.