LeBron James to Carmelo Anthony: N.Y. Knicks Model of New, Unsettling NBA Design

LeBron James was thought to have started something last summer.

When he left the low-key atmosphere of Cleveland for the hustle and bustle of South Beach, fans and critics alike could sense that this was the beginning of something.

When James made the decision to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, a new kind of powerhouse was formed.

Over the years, the structure of NBA powerhouses has changed to say the least.

Going back a decade, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were able to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002.  We all know that fell apart, but the Lakers were nonetheless a dynasty during that time period.

Fast forward ahead five years and the Boston Celtics formed a powerhouse of their own by acquiring Ray Allen from the Seattle SuperSonics and Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves to pair with Paul Pierce.

In Boston's first season with the "Boston Three-Party," they beat the Lakers in six games to win an NBA title.  This trio is still intact to this day, and have added a fourth All-Star, in Rajon Rondo, to the mix.

Move ahead another three years and we now have another type of NBA powerhouse in the Miami Heat.

Wade re-signed with Miami over this past summer, and Bosh and James made the jump from their respective teams to join him.

This is an NBA powerhouse unlike any other because never have three players of this calibre teamed up to try and win a championship.

Will Miami win an NBA title this year?

Who knows? But the future does look bright.

The Heat's formation of a superstar trio seems to have had the biggest ripple effect out of any of the aforementioned powerhouses that have formed over the years.

Now, more than ever, it seems teams are determined to pair superstars with other superstars in order to win a championship.

At the very least, it's clear that the New York Knicks have bought into this philosophy.

New York signed All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire over the summer, and recently added a second superstar in Carmelo Anthony to play alongside him.  

And now the Knicks are determined to add either Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Dwight Howard next summer to complete their trio.

Although New York appears to be following in Miami's footsteps, they are in fact further evolving the powerhouse concept,

The Knicks are becoming the model for the new and unsettling NBA design.

Unsettling?

Yes, unsettling.

LeBron James and the Heat took the powerhouse concept to a new level, just like the Celtics did before them.  And now its the Knicks who are taking it to the next level.

Miami, Boston and Los Angeles may have formed their championship contending teams in different ways, but they all have one thing in common: A home-grown franchise player.

Not home-grown in the sense that the player was born and raised in their respective team's city, rather home-grown in the sense that they began their career with that particular team.

Los Angeles drafted and built their team around Bryant.  Boston's anchor is Pierce and they also have a franchise player in Rondo as well.  

And as for Miami, James may be the biggest name in basketball, but Wade is the face of that organization.

In New York's case, when and if they complete their superstar trio, there will be no home-grown franchise players on the roster.

David Lee and Danilo Gallinari, the two leading candidates for such a role, are gone.  Lee was traded to Golden State after the Knicks signed Stoudemire and Gallinari was the centerpiece of the trade package New York sent to Denver in exchange for Anthony.

While Stoudemire and Anthony are great players, there is a lack of attachment between them and the organization.

Yes, Anthony was born in Brooklyn, but Denver drafted him and was his home for the past eight years. Anthony may say that he has "come home," but his value to this organization cannot be compared to that of a home-grown franchise player.

Los Angeles, Boston and Miami fans have had the opportunity to watch and cheer for their franchise players as they developed into the stars they are today.  

Bryant has been the face of the Lakers for 14 years.  Pierce has been the centerpiece of the Celtics for 12 years and Wade has headlined the Heat for over seven years.

However, recent events suggest that the era of home-grown, franchise players is coming to a close.

Many believed that James' decision to join the Heat changed the philosophy of the NBA entirely, but the truth is, New York's attempt to put together a trio of stars has sent an even bigger message about the future of the NBA.

No longer will teams look to the draft to find a player that they can build around, rather they will all look to the free agency pool and trading block.  

Teams will draft and develop superstars only to watch them leave and team up with other stars in bigger markets.

Miami further advocated this concept with the signings of James and Bosh, but New York blew it wide open by trading for Anthony.

The Heat will always have their home-grown leader Wade, but the structure of the Knicks is truly unsettling.

While New York fans have stars to cheer on in Anthony and Stoudemire, they lack that connection that fans only feel when rooting for an athlete they have watched from the start.

And the Knicks are only the beginning.  More teams will follow suit.

The New Jersey Nets are poised to do exactly what New York is trying to do.  They have already traded for Williams, and don't think for a second that they won't try to pry Howard from the Orlando Magic next season with a package centered around the home-grown Brook Lopez.

The structure of the NBA has officially changed with the Knicks' acquisition of Carmelo Anthony. 

Will New York complete its superstar trio and bring an NBA title to the Big Apple?

Only time will tell. 

When and if the Knicks win a championship though, there will be no Bryant or Wade or Pierce on the team.

Instead, it will be with a team of players who began their careers somewhere else and the Knicks essentially added overnight.  

New York will lack that one player who was there from the beginning of their career.  

They will lack that player who plays his heart out for them in a way only a home-grown prodigy can. 

Boston and Miami changed the shape of the league with their roster upheavals, but New York has shattered the NBA's structure with theirs.

And its unsettling to say the least.