Carmelo Anthony: Will He Ever Live Up to His Massive Contract for NY Knicks?

When Donnie Walsh was allegedly forced to gut the roster to obtain the services of Carmelo Anthony, the trade was met with a mix of criticism and excitement.

On one hand, the Knicks obtained their second superstar player and took one step closer towards creating a big three to compete with the Miami Heat. On the other hand, it was believed by many that if they had held out a little bit longer, they could have acquired the elite scoring of Carmelo by signing him over the summer. They would not have had to give up any of their young core, who would have formed a nice supporting cast around Carmelo and Amar'e Stoudemire.

While many believe James Dolan's impatience led to the Knicks having to give up so many assets, his logic was likely that he didn't want to take that chance and see Carmelo sign with another team (especially since one of the other main suitors for Carmelo was the New Jersey Nets.)

Although I can actually follow Dolan's logic for once, I still can't say I agree with it. Usually when you have the chance to acquire a superstar, as Bill Simmons says, "you do it and ask questions later." The only problem with acquiring Carmelo Anthony for a king's ransom is that the Knicks already have Amar'e Stoudemire, who is an elite scorer.

The other similarity about their style of play that is more problematic is that neither of them play defense. The fact that D'Antoni doesn't see this as a problem is an article for another day.

The even bigger problem than the aforementioned one, which the Knicks have no control over, is the fact that the new collective bargaining agreement is likely going to lower the salary cap. If the cap is lowered, it is entirely possible that the Knicks may not have enough cap room for a third superstar. Amar'e signed for a max contract, as did Carmelo.

When the Knicks acquired Amar'e, it made sense that they signed him for as much money as they did. If the Knicks had walked away empty handed in 2010, it would've probably resulted in a riot in New York. The team had to give the franchise and the fanbase hope after the abysmal decade with Isiah Thomas as the ringleader.

However, when they acquired Carmelo, the pressure for Donnie Walsh was to pull the trigger on a trade that absolutely did not have to go down. An ounce more of patience and Dolan would've been happier with the outcome. Let me explain.

Let's just say that instead of gutting the roster for Carmelo, the Knicks could've waited for one of these three scenarios.

They could've landed Carmelo and kept their young core in place, or miss out on Carmelo, yet still have the cap space to go after another free agent while still having a young core in place. The third thing is why rushing the trade makes even less sense.

If Carmelo signs elsewhere in 2011, the Knicks could've then pulled the desperation move and gutted the roster to land a second superstar, who may have even been able to play solid defense as well. Instead of doing the aforementioned move, in typical Dolan fashion, he irrationally and impatiently forced Walsh to make the desperation move with arguably better options left on the table.

This is not a knock on Carmelo, as much as it is on the Knicks hastiness. When reviewing the details of the way the team acquired Carmelo, it just doesn't make sense. The Knicks gave up their young core (which was basically all of their tradeable assets for Landry Fields and Toney Douglas), as well as paid him a mammoth contract.

Considering the fact that the Knicks could've pulled the desperation move later on for a player like Dwight Howard or Chris Paul, who are both great defenders, it's hard to justify making the move, let alone saying it was worth it.

While Carmelo is arguably the top scorer in the NBA, winning is about team chemistry and obtaining pieces that mesh well with each other. The perfect culmination of this was in this past season's NBA Finals by the cohesion of the Dallas Mavericks defeating the super talent of the Miami Heat.

The success of the Amar'e and Carmelo duo is ultimately contingent on the team getting a third superstar. With the new salary cap likely to be lowered, Amar'e and Carmelo just don't seem to be enough to get the Knicks to the promised land, let alone beyond the second round.

Carmelo will have to become more of a leader, much like the way Amar'e was when he landed in New York, which is highly possible. Seeing Carmelo improve well enough to become an elite defender, on the other hand, is highly unlikely. 

Unless you think two elite offensive players who play little to no defense will win you a championship, then it's hard to justify spending the money the Knicks did on Carmelo. Especially since there were better options available to them when they made the move.