4:08 pm Jan. 26, 2012
The New York Knicks have a Carmelo Anthony problem. But unlike the questions that have plagued the team at point guard, or the early-season struggles of Amar'e Stoudemire, this problem has a clear and easy diagnosis: Carmelo Anthony is playing hurt.
This isn't in dispute. Anthony, who had been shooting a respectable 44 percent while taking a huge percentage of New York's shots, hurt his wrist and ankle in a game against Memphis on Jan. 12. Instead of healing his wrist, Anthony decided to alter his shooting motion.
The results have been disastrous, with Anthony shooting under 32 percent in six games since. In the first four, each of which was a loss, he still took more than 26 shots per game. He just wasn't hitting many of them. Following a confessional session with reporters last Saturday night, Anthony saw the error of his ways.
But of the two solutions he proposed at the time—taking time off to heal, or curbing his shot attempts—Anthony decided to take the latter path. That's been a mixed blessing, with Anthony shooting 0-for-7 in Tuesday night's win over the Bobcats, and just 5-for-14 in Wednesday night's 91-81 loss to the Cavaliers, a hollowed-out team that New York nevertheless now trails in the playoff race.
No one is claiming that the injured, inaccurate Anthony should continue taking 25-30 shots per game. But what he's doing now is madness, for him and the team.
Anthony means well, and it is easy to understand where he's coming from. New York is just 7-11, and Anthony must feel responsible for the team's fate, given the trove of players the Knicks had to send to Denver just to acquire him.
“As a leader of this team, I don’t think I can sit out right now, with everything going on, losing games,’’ Anthony told the New York Post. “If we were winning a couple of games, maybe, but we’re in a battle.’’
But even with an improving Stoudemire, whose ability to get to the basket has been much improved over the past two games, leading him to average 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in those contests, New York needs more offense to win. Landry Fields' recent solid run of form has coincided with Iman Shumpert's first slump—but neither player can be considered an offensive building block.
Between the limited offensive ability of center Tyson Chandler, the extremely weak second unit, and the absence of reserve forward Josh Harrellson—out six weeks following wrist surgery—this is a team that clearly needs more from Carmelo Anthony than simply passing, rebounding and the occasional errant shot.
The good news is, Baron Davis did not play Wednesday night. He decided that without feeling like he was healthy enough to contribute the way he wanted to, he would hold off on returning to the court.
That's exactly what the Knicks need him to do—to make sure he is pacing himself to maximize what he can give the Knicks when he is on the court. A hobbled Davis, or one unable to play, doesn't do anything for this team, and New York's lack of depth means it needs strong performances from the players it does have at its disposal.
But the whole reason having Davis in place at point guard is so important is that he can begin the process of building a balanced Knicks offense between Stoudemire and Anthony. If Anthony isn't healthy enough to take advantage of the greatly improved looks he'll get with a real point guard on the floor, the New York offense will continue to be a makeshift one. In its current form, it is easy to imagine Davis taking it upon himself to hoist up low-percentage shots, with so little in the way of credible alternatives.
The last two weeks saw the Knicks drop from 6-5 to 7-11. Imagine how much better their position would be right now if Anthony had simply sat out and gotten healthy. They'd be on the verge of adding Davis to a healthy Anthony and emerging Stoudemire.
Instead, a rusty Davis will return and will be asked to improvise while Anthony continues to play at less than full capacity. The schedule gets no easier, with Miami up next on Friday, followed by a trip to Houston, and shortly thereafter, a game against Chicago.
It's a shortened season, and now the Knicks are in danger of running out of time, funnily enough, because they just couldn't wait.
