The Knicks Have yet to Bring their Team Together

Lately, the New York Knicks have faced the challenge of finding functionality in their newly updated roster. In late February, the Denver Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks in what looked to be a turning point for them. The Knicks however, have not shown signs of adjustment, as they have fallen bellow a .500 record in Wednesday night's loss agains the Orlando Magic. With every added loss, attention has been diverted to a few key players including Amar'e Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups and of course, Carmelo Anthony. In months preceeding the "Me-lo" trade, many experts saw Stoudemire strengthen his role as a leader for the team. With the new trade, a shift of leadership and responsibilities has undergone between both stars, but it needs to reach out to the team too.

With the playoffs looming, one can question whether the team can adjust in time to qualify. Amar'e Stoudemire's style of ball-play involves pick and rolll techniques while Anthony simply does not use the same techniques. He is an isolation shooter who will seek the opportunity for a clear wing in which he can make a jumpshot. Contrastingly, Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni has led the team to become more comfortable in implementing their offense with plenty of ball handling before shots are made. While both Stoudemire and Anthony have specialized playing styles to offer, they tend to conflict each when they pursue their own objectives. With these two situations becoming intertwined, it is easy to forget about the rest of the team. Defense is one of the issues that plagues the Knicks the most, especially since the team has a problem with inconsistency.

The Knicks show weakness often towards the end of games in the fourth quarter, which ends up costing them the lead. A promising strong start in the first two quarters leaves the offense tired and this is where star players like Anthony are relied upon more heavily. It has become apparent that Anthony has not found his niche in making these rushed offensive plays. The shots that he does take are usually not thought out well and come from different areas of the court suggesting that he is not yet secured a perfect spot to shoot from. Also, these continued shot attempts by Anthony prove that he is not willing to run the pick and roll with Stoudemire or other alternative plays.

Mike D'Antoni highlighted on Wednesday that Stoudemire was unable to raise his offense because he was tired. Many other phrases are recycled such as the situation being simply a "long season" or that they "[they] have to take a step backwards to move forwards." This way of analyzing the team's weaknesses lacks being realistic and will only hurt them further by blinding them from the true problem. Instead, the head coach needs to diverge some much-needed attention to the Knicks defense in order for each player to have better involvement and collaborate more effectively on the court.