Carmelo Anthony will lead a ragtag Knicks squad in 2015-16. Keith Allison/Flickr
The Knicks are quite the enigma in the NBA. The last time they made the playoffs was in 2012-13, and despite bringing in a Hall of Fame pedigree with Phil Jackson as their GM, not much seems to have changed. Sports Illustrated has projected the Knicks’ wins at 28, and the general consensus is that they will simply flounder to another lottery pick and give their fans yet another disappointing season. Rumors are floating around that the Knicks are looking to trade Carmelo Anthony; however, the Knicks’ problems have a solution. You just need to look hard enough.
The Knicks had a promising summer ahead of them. Not only did they have their first top lottery pick since 2009, but they also were looking forward to hauling a prized free agent like LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Monroe. However, not only did they pick up one of the most controversial picks with Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4, but they also failed to pick up any notable free agents. Instead of Monta Ellis and Rajon Rondo, the Knicks picked up shooting guard Arron Afflalo and center Robin Lopez. While these are solid secondary pickups, they pale in comparison to what the Knicks could have gotten.
Despite an underachieving summer, it’s not all bad news for the Knicks. They traded Tim Hardaway Jr., a solid wing player with a low ceiling, for Jerian Grant, a talented scorer from Notre Dame. He’ll probably slot in as the backup guard, but he has a lot of potential and is poised to be a solid, albeit undersized scorer in the NBA. Afflalo is a solid defender and third or fourth option on offense, and Robin Lopez will provide toughness and rebounding on the front line, which is definitely a step up from Andrea Bargnani and Amare Stoudemire. Sophomores Cleanthony Early and Langston Galloway have shown promise; it is probably due to the lack of options at the Knicks’ disposal, but it’s still something they can build on.
One main problem the Knicks need to solve is Carmelo Anthony. Anthony is a proven scorer and is an excellent first option on offense. However, his downside is that he holds the ball for too long, which gums up the triangle offense the Knicks are trying to run. In addition, “Melo” is in desperate need of a championship, as he is the only one of the top five picks in the vaunted 2003 draft who has not reached at least reached the NBA Finals, and the Knicks should not be aiming for a championship. The Knicks are in an unenviable position not only in the present, but in the near future as well. Unless they pull off a couple of ridiculous trades, they should focus on rebuilding and grooming a core group for the future. Anthony has no place in that process, as he’s already 31 years old. The Knicks should focus on trading him for some picks or a couple of solid, young players.
Right now, the future looks bleak for the New York Knicks. James Dolan has made bad decisions, and the Knicks have drafted poorly. However, if they focus on rebuilding slowly and patiently, waiting for young players to reach their potential, they could eventually turn into a solid team. As long as they don’t jump at every opportunity to snag a big player, the Knicks’ luck will turn for the better.
