NBA Trade Deadline: 10 Reasons Why the Knicks Aren't Championship Caliber Yet
Carmelo Anthony's long-awaited trade to the New York Knicks finally took place on Tuesday. The Knicks now have a "Big Three" in Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, and Amar'e Stoudemire.
New York's sudden emergence as a power in the Eastern Conference brings good publicity for the NBA and makes the city come alive.
However, despite the big names in New York, their hopes of winning a title might be a little out of reach at the moment.
The Knicks gave up an awful lot to get Anthony, and the team only has roughly 30 games to gel together.
Let's take a look at other reasons why the Knicks won't win a championship in the near future.
10. Chemistry
1 of 10
Of course, chemistry is the main aspect to consider when a team makes a major trade at the deadline.
Although Carmelo Anthony's ability to create for himself on offense compliments Amar'e Stoudemire's pick-and-pop style, they haven't played together before.
Here we have two of the league's top superstars, and possibly the best two scorers at their respective positions.
As for Chauncey Billups, he's the guy you want running your offense in the post season, but he's old, and didn't even have the desire to play in New York.
The Knicks might be able to get a fourth seed by season's end, but they probably won't be able to have the entire team on the same page.
9. Mike D'Antoni's Offensive Set
2 of 10
It's well documented that Mike D'Antoni's teams love to run.
He runs his offense the same way in New York that he did in Phoenix, and apparently Amare' Stoudemire loves it.
In contrast though, Chauncey Billups has always run a structured offense. He likes to control the tempo of the game while creating to each of his teammates' strengths, as he did in Detroit.
D'Antoni's offense is to the point of reckless, as we saw Raymond Felton jack up three-point shots all year long without a single pass.
Carmelo Anthony likes isolation sets too, which would require him to slow the game down, and let him break defenders down off the dribble.
8. Team Defense
3 of 10
Here's another key characteristic of Mike D'Antoni's teams.
For some reason, his quick offense always translates into sloppy defense. The defensive woes probably relate to the fast pace, which tires players out and lowers their stamina.
On paper though, the Knicks line up is not particularly strong on the defensive end.
Billups is solid, but both Anthony and Stoudemire are liabilities. Landry Fields and Ronny Turiaf are effective, but Carmelo and Amare' must cover the two most important positions when the playoffs come around.
There's Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh, and Josh Smith for Stoudemire to possibly guard. As for Anthony, it's the likes of LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Luol Deng and Danny Granger. Yikes!
7. Bench Depth
4 of 10
New York's top three bench players are as follows: Toney Douglas, Renaldo Balkman, and Corey Brewer.
If anything, the Knicks have a couple decent defenders of the bench, but with the exceptions of Toney Douglas and Kelenna Azabuike, there's no other major offensive threat.
The bench is also very small in terms of front court help, which will prove to be the demise of this team in the playoffs.
The starters for the Knicks have their hands full, that's for sure.
6. Size
5 of 10
In order to win a championship, a team must have at least a formidable defensive front court.
In this case, this is what both the Knicks and Heat have in common.
Ronny Turiaf is just 6'10, which spells doom for New York. Especially when you consider that Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, Shaq O'Neill and Al Horford reside in the Eastern Conference.
Amare' Stoudemire has already been mentioned as a below-par defender. The Knicks don't even have a man taller than 6'11 on this team.
5. A Strong Conference
6 of 10
With Boston, Miami, Chicago, and arguably Orlando presenting specific weaknesses to the Knicks, it doesn't look like they will make it out of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals this year.
The Knicks need at least one solid big man through free agency, and a couple role players.
There has been talk of Chris Paul coming to New York, and you'd have to consider the idea when remembering that Chauncey Billups is retiring soon.
The Knicks don't have much talent below their core three, which doesn't measure close to Miami's "Big Three" or Boston's "Big Four." New York will contend, but won't go too far in the East.
4. Boston's Balance
7 of 10
The Boston Celtics are the most balanced team in the NBA.
They of course have the "Big Three" of veterans in Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, accompanied by the magician Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics play unbelievable on the road, and they present tons of matchup problems on defense with Kevin Garnett and Rondo's slashing ability.
Shaq might have his way with Ronny Turiaf if he's healthy, but this team is the best team in the conference, no doubt about it.
The Celtics hang their hat on the defense's ability to control the tempo of games, which might be a problem for Mike D'Antoni's style.
3. Derrick Rose
8 of 10
From being an eighth-seed last season, the Bulls are now almost at the top of the Eastern Conference thanks to Derrick Rose.
He is widely considered to be the top MVP candidate right now, and is playing the best basketball of any point guard across the NBA. The Bulls just beat a tough Miami Heat team last night in a thriller, thanks to Rose's heroics.
Derrick Rose is among the top-10 on both points and assists per game this season, and has improved his offensive game immensely in terms of shooting the basketball. "D-Rose" might very well have the fastest step to the basket in the game, and at times, he appears un-guardable.
Rose has taken his team so far this season, despite missing Joakim Noah for an extended period of time. Now that Noah is back healthy, the Bulls can combine his impact along with fellow big men Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson.
The Bulls will compete for a championship this season while riding their leader and star Derrick Rose.
2. LeBron James
9 of 10
"King James" has gone crazy in Madison Square Garden over the course of his career. In fact, last December, he recorded a triple-double at the Garden in a blowout win over the Knicks.
The Heat have depth problems too, but James' supporting cast of superstars far outweighs that of New York.
The Heat have collectively played as a group for much longer than New York has, and LeBron James is playing superior basketball right now.
He will give Carmelo Anthony match up problems all night long with his quickness and size, and will prevail in the end. The Heat have handled New York pretty well for the most part, and LeBron James wouldn't let his team lose a seven game series if these two teams met.
James is among the top three candidates for MVP consideration this season, and he'll prove to be too much for the Knicks to handle in the end. New York does not have the means to stop him.
1. Dwight Howard
10 of 10Dwight Howard has been the best player in the NBA this season.
At only 25 years old, he's just entering his prime, and is miles ahead of every other center in the game today. Howard has the Magic back on track after beginning the season very slow, and they are a force to be reckoned with.
Howard is second in the NBA to LeBron James is player efficiency rating, and is near the top of the NBA in both rebounds and blocked shots.
He has become comfortable around the basket with his post moves, and has even developed a solid mid-range jump shot. This kid is nearly unstoppable right now, and there is no way the Knicks will slow him down.
Ronny Turiaf is only 6'10, and there is no seven-footer on the entire Knicks squad. Howard will have his way all night long, every game if these teams met in the playoffs.
Howard is on a completely different level from any other big man in the NBA right now, and he's also New York's worst nightmare.
