Carmelo Anthony NY Knicks: 5 Reasons Carmelo Isn't Worth Price Knicks Paid
It's finally over. Carmelo Anthony is now a member of the New York Knicks. Was it worth it?
The Knicks had battles within themselves over this Carmelo deal. You could see that all the talk was frustrating the players, coaches and the personnel. Fortunately for them, Denver pulled the trigger earlier than most expected. Denver did so because they wanted to have time to make some more deals.
The Nuggets are getting Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, draft picks and cash. The Knicks get Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and nobody else worth mentioning.
Seriously, it's three guys averaging less than 10 points combined. New York also traded Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Corey Brewer.
That's quite the blockbuster trade that just went down. The Knicks gave up a lot to get their superstar. But did they give up too much? Here are five reasons why Carmelo Anthony isn't worth the price the Knicks just paid.
5. Even Less Defense
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The Knicks are known for not really playing defense. And now their defense just got worse. They picked up some great scorers, but if one of them is having an off night you can expect it to be a loss because they won't be stopping anyone.
New York traded away some of their better defenders for guys who can score at will. Here's to hoping they can score 100 plus points every night, because they're going to need to.
4. Carmelo is Not a Proven Winner
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He's a proven scorer, but not a winner.
Carmelo has led the Nuggets to the Western Conference playoffs all seven years he has been there. Only one time did they make it out of the first round.
You can score a bunch of points and get your team to the playoffs, but if you don't accomplish anything while you're there, then it's nothing but a failure.
Yes, Carmelo never played with anyone quite like Amar'e Stoudemire, but he did have talent around him. Marcus Camby and Allen Iverson were just two great players Carmelo played with. Chemistry was the issue the years they played. Who knows if Carmelo and Amar'e can play well together?
3. New York Gave Up Too Many Young Players
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A 34-year-old point guard now runs the show in New York City. He's paired up with a high scoring 26-year-old and a dominant big man that happens to be 28.
To say that the Knicks are now old would be too harsh. They're not that old, but they used to be much younger. New York had a lot of talent on the team that needed time to grow.
Danilo Gallinari is only 22. Wilson Chandler is only 23 and Anthony Randolph is 21. All three of them looked promising in the years to come, and New York could have been special with them. Instead the Knicks opted to get rid of their young talent for an old veteran, a high scoring superstar and a few scrub players.
On the bright side, New York was smart enough to keep Landry Fields.
2. New York Needs More than Just Carmelo and Amar'e
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New York is currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. There are 28 games left in the season and after this trade I don't see them moving up in the standings. They are now five and half games back from fifth place.
Three teams behind the Knicks are within five games or less of taking the sixth seed away from New York. Since the Knicks traded away what seems like half of their team, I don't think the newest big three of the Eastern Conference can improve too much.
There's no question the Knicks are better team. I mean, it's Carmelo Anthony we're talking about here. However, they need a better supporting cast. Anthony, Stoudemire, Billups and Landry Fields aren't going to be able to carry this team very far. They'll make the playoffs, for sure, but I don't see them getting out of the first round.
With time the Knicks will add pieces here and there and give the new big three the supporting cast it needs to excel in the Eastern Conference.
1. New York Could Have Waited
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Carmelo Anthony was all set to be a free agent this summer. Denver tried to re-sign him before the season, but Carmelo turned it down. The Nuggets did what they had to do. They didn't want to end up like Cleveland and just let their superstar walk away and get nothing in return.
That could have happened if the Knicks had just waited. They felt pressured by other teams, but in reality, they never should have been. New York just got played by Denver.
Carmelo Anthony only wanted to play for one team, and that was the New York Knicks. The New Jersey Nets were in contention for a Carmelo trade but he would have never stayed there. Carmelo wasn't going to agree to a contract extension with the Nets. He knew that the Knicks could build a better team around himself and Amar'e.
New York could have waited until the summer to get their superstar. Instead they made a blockbuster trade that cost them a ton of young talent.
