New York Knicks: What's Up With the Temperamental Team?

I'm a New York Knicks fan. I have been for as long as I can remember. I still hear my dad screaming, "You gotta dunk that ball!!!" when Ewing missed the legendary finger roll in '95 against the Pacers. I'm still haunted in my dreams by Reggie Miller hitting 8 points in 8.9 seconds. I still think the Knicks were title bound until the brawl in '97. And this past decade, I've found it hard to watch Knicks games without missing the "good" old days.

But more than a Knicks fan, I am a basketball fan. I believe that basketball can be like beautiful music if played the right way. I love to talk basketball. How the pick and roll is and will forever be the greatest play in basketball, how defense wins championships and how everything comes down to heart.

Which brings me to the 2010-2011 New York Knickerbockers. Regardless of what anyone says, I love this team. I've always loved Amar'e since he came to the league and I was the biggest Carmelo fan when he was drafted (in fact the Nuggets are my second favorite team, still...) My two favorite stars on my team? Thought this would never happen! But now, after all the Melo-drama and hype, Knicks fans are brought back to a harsh reality...

The Knicks still aren't great.

I mean they are good, they can win, but not win by large enough margins for us greedy New York fans. People made it seem like Carmelo was the coming of a basketball god here to save the NYC from basketball purgatory. I, for one, am a realist. If you take the best players in the NBA, put them on a team, and have them play the Spurs in a seven-game series; the Spurs will win. That group of guys have been playing together for years and that kind of chemistry takes time. Look at the past five champions, look who made it to the past five finals and you'll see all top-10 defenses. You can go back even 10 years. Defense wins championships. Period.

Two major things are needed to win championships and the Knicks lack both. So maybe they should just "wait til next year" like Melo put it. Not a chance when you play in the Big Apple. This is the city where we not only expect you to win, we demand it. For all the money you're getting paid you better try your hardest until the final buzzer of the final game sounds.

So how do they fix it? I've watched almost every Knicks game this season and one thing that has gotten this team to playoff contention is Amar'e Stoudemire. One solution, feed the beast. Amar'e might have single-handedly restored the Knicks from bottom feeder to playoff maker. Amar'e should take control of his team. Maybe a fire speech in the locker room to get them fired up for some basketball.

Everyone knows it's his team, he just needs to show it. But when it comes to the court, it should be all about Amar'e as well. Carmelo should be Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari combined and fit in Carmelo Anthony when Amar'e isn't in the game. I find myself yelling at the TV every game in the fourth quarter, 'Pick and roll! Pick and roll! Who ever has the ball, have Amar'e set the screen, everyone else get out of the way and run @#$%*& pick and roll! Whether it's Billups, Carmelo, Douglas, Landry aka Muddy aka Agua; run a pick and roll!

Excuse me, it's not too hard...

Maybe it's not that easy and I'm just a fan so what do I know. I do know that it doesn't get any easier Wednesday night in the garden when Dwight Howard comes to town. I am in no way pan-Knicking because I see the "master plan" to get that ring but all is not lost on this season...that's all I'm saying.