NY Knicks: If Carmelo Anthony Does Not Adapt to Team, Losing Will Not Stop

Carmelo Anthony has been a member of the New York Knicks for over a month now, and he has yet to prove that he has truly "come home."

Anthony is one of the main reasons why the Knicks are currently on a six-game skid. Obviously, he is not the sole reason for New York's troubles, but he is a major one.

It had to be expected that the Knicks would endure some trials and tribulations after the Anthony trade. Players need time to mesh together and develop chemistry, especially after a roster shake up like the one the Knicks underwent.

But no one expected this.

New York is 35-38 and falling fast in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.  Right now, the Knicks are fighting to keep their head above water, but they show no signs of resurfacing as the team we all know they be.

And if Anthony does not get his act together, New York's losing streak may be something Knicks fans have to once again become used to.

What is it exactly about Anthony that is presenting such an obstacle for this team?

Simply put, Anthony has yet to adapt to his new team and coach Mike D'Antoni's system.

We are 19 games into the Anthony era and he still has not become fully acclimated to New York's style of play.  Clearly it is difficult to transition into a new system, especially mid-season, but Anthony is talented enough to have done so already.

Yet, he hasn't.

For one, Anthony has given a lackluster defensive effort since he became a Knick.  Over the first two or three games, the effort was clearly there on his part, but now it is nowhere to be found.

Some may say that Anthony's lack of defensive effort hasn't hurt the Knicks that much because they were never a good defensive team to begin with, but New York is even worse off defensively with Anthony.

When Amar'e Stoudemire was the only star on the team, he brought intensity on the defensive side of the ball.  

Now, Stoudemire is no Dwight Howard, but he can be extremely aggressive on defense. And the rest of the team followed suit, which is why the Knicks are second in the league in blocks per game.

But since Anthony arrived, the Knicks defense has been even more embarrassing than usual.  

He is not putting in a significant effort on the defense, which is something a superstar needs to do for his team.  If other players see Anthony remaining stagnant on that side of the ball, they will have no motivation to step up their defensive performance.

Despite Anthony's struggles on defense, he has hurt the Knicks on the offensive side of the ball more.

Yes, I'm serious.

Anthony is averaging an impressive 24.9 points per game since joining the Knicks, but he is taking almost 20 shots a game, making his point totals less impressive.

In addition to taking too many shots, Anthony has slowed New York's ball movement down quite a bit. Whenever he touches the ball, he holds it in his hands for at least five seconds before trying to isolate his defender and go one-on-one.

And this is not what D'Antoni's system is all about.

Anthony needs to get on board with the seven seconds or less system.  This means when he touches the ball, he has to decide immediately whether to drive, shoot or pass. He cannot waste time and slow down the ball movement by trying to play one-on-one all the time.

In fact, if Anthony gets on board with the seven seconds or less system, he can still take the same amount of shots or more.  Once Anthony can keep the ball moving and make quicker decisions, it will result in more offensive possessions for New York, which means more shot opportunities for him.

Furthermore, if Anthony can adapt to his new system, he will finally develop chemistry with the rest of his teammates and the Knicks will be able to find their comfort zone and start to win some games.

The Knicks may be a thin team as a result of the Anthony trade, but they are much better than we have seen to date.  They are too good to be playing like this.

It is about time that something clicked inside Anthony's head.  The Knicks were not rolling before he joined the team, but they were holding their own.  Now they are getting beat by subpar teams as well as booed off their home court.

If Anthony does not adapt to New York's system, the losing will not stop.  

Stoudemire may have been able to carry the Knicks before Anthony arrived, but he can no longer do that.  The Anthony deal decimated the Knicks supporting cast that contributed to Stoudemire's success as a leader.

As a result, New York needs to lean on both of their superstars to lead them out of the current losing streak.

Anthony needs to work hard to assimilate into to this new style of play so he can help Stoudemire carry the aforementioned burden.

His failure to adjust to his new team has resulted in both he and New York beginning to crumble.

And if Anthony does not figure out a way to adapt to being a member of the Knicks soon, there will be no hope of ever picking up the pieces.