When the New York Knicks resigned Carmelo Anthony and hired Phil Jackson to take over their team, it was a move that was supposed to mark the turning point for a franchise that seemed to dramatically underachieve for years despite some considerable talent. That has made it that much more disappointing for fans that have watched their team stumble to just five wins through their first 27 games. Only the Philadelphia 76ers have been worse than the Knicks through the first couple of months and what’s scary – for Knicks fans – is that the Sixers are just two games back of the Knicks in the standings.
With rumors about Carmelo Anthony wanting out and the rest of the roster struggling to figure out the triangle offense that Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher have attempted to install, there is a good chance that things could get much worse in New York before they get better. From their struggling superstar, to their inability to grasp the triangle, to a basic lack of talent there is plenty wrong with the Knicks that has led to their terrible start to the NBA season.
Carmelo Anthony Is Struggling
The NBA is a league dominated by superstars, so any talk about New York’s struggles has to start with Carmelo. Anthony has averaged a team-leading 23.3 points per game along with 6.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists, but his shooting percentages are down. While he still generates nice numbers, he really hasn’t raised the level of play among his teammates as a franchise player is supposed to do. Maybe it’s unfair to expect so much from Anthony but considering his talent level in comparison to the best players on the teams the Knicks are keeping company with these days, something has to give and he is going to take some of the blame.
Coaching Staff Doesn’t Have The Right Pieces To Work With
Another big problem for the Knicks has been the coaching staff trying to fit square pegs into round holes in terms of their strategy. Or, in this case, square pegs into their triangle offense. As one of Jackson’s former players, Fisher is a student of the triangle but even though he has preached about the system to his players, they simply have not been able to take the system and run with it.
New York ranks 21st in offensive efficiency and owns the 18th-best field goal percentage with even their assist opportunities per game down from a year ago. It was expected that there would be a learning curve but so far, there has been no bright spots. There have been no glimmers that things are actually heading in the right direction. That’s what’s so frustrating for those watching the team.
Just Not Very Talented
The reality is that while Anthony will take some of the blame and the system might not be perfect for the players on the roster, the bottom line that has to be accepted at the end of the day is the fact that the talent might not be as good as many people – including the Knicks management – believe it is. Amar’e Stoudamire has been able to contribute but he’s way past his prime.
Beyond him, there are considerable concerns about J.R. Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr., Iman Shumpertm and Jose Calderon not just based on their talent level, but based on their commitment to improvement. Jackson will have to find a way to bring in a bigger talent haul. One way could be by shipping out Anthony in a major trade to break things down even further and start gathering young talent to build with.
New York has been an absolute mess so far and while Anthony will get most of the blame, there is also the issue of the team’s struggles learning the triangle offense and a very basic lack of talent on the roster that has contributed to what has gone wrong for the Knicks this season.
