Last February the Garden was a temple of hope. The Knicks were steadily clinging to the brighter side of .500 for the first time in almost a decade and their rag tag group of over achievers were doing just that, overachieving. They were winning the games that they were supposed to win, and every now and then they'd steal one from a contender, proving that these were no longer the same bottom feeder Knickerbockers that fans had unfortunately come to expect. Their center was playing at an All-NBA level, they had a potent offense, a solid floor general and a nice rotating cast of interchangeable wings that each brought unique skill sets to the table. A foundation had been put in place, and for the first time in a long time, the future looked bright in the big city.
You know that old saying "the grass is always greener on the other side"? Well multiply it by ten and that's New York sports fans, and more specifically, New York sports management, in a nut shell. Nothing is ever good enough, moves must always be made, your team can always "improve" somehow. So when it became evident around the All-Star break last season that Carmelo Anthony would not sign an extension with the Denver Nuggets, Knicks owner James Dolan knew this was his chance to land himself a second superstar, and he would not let that opportunity pass him by.
On the surface there is no way the Knicks should have ever been in a position where the negotiating ball wasn't in their court. Carmelo wanted New York just as badly as New York wanted him. During negotiations he even implied that he would sign there as a free agent (for less money than the max extension that only Denver could offer) in the summer of 2011 if a deal didn't get worked out before the deadline. But then some rumors started to fly, most notably Andrew Bynum for Melo, and Dolan began to inch closer and closer to that dreaded panic button.
Donnie Walsh, the team's GM at the time, took a more cautious approach, advising the team to hold out for a fair offer or test their luck in the free agent market that summer. Donnie had been brought in to make up for the decade of incompetence that had taken place before his arrival, and worried that by showing their poker hand too early, Dolan would go all in. After all, stars sell in this league, and it's not every day you get the chance to send out two of the games most recognizable figures onto the court, night in and night out, for years to come.
So sure enough, against the wishes of the team's General Manager, Dolan signed off on a pre-deadline deal that sent rising star Danilo Gallinari, starters Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton, along with Timofey Mosgov and a first round pick to the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony and some pieces. It was a rushed decision, but one that could certainly be justified. The Knicks had pulled the trigger.
And it backfired.
The Carmelo Anthony experiment thus far has been a roller coaster of mundane highs and far too many lows. Hell, in Melo's first month alone the team went on a seven game winning streak and a six game losing streak. Amar'e's production dropped significantly, Fields became a shell of himself and lack of depth became a crippling factor that would ultimately lead to their demise. They got swept by a decaying Boston team, a series that saw them get blown out in two laughers on their own court.
Promises were made. "Next year we'll be back better than ever". We had heard it all before. Then the lockout happened, quickly halting any opportunity for the team to gel together over the summer months. After a deal between the owners and players union was finally made in early December, the shortened free agency period began and the Knicks wasted no time in using their amnesty clause on their only true point guard (Chauncey Billups). This allowed them to then go after a lifetime 8ppg-8rpg center for the steep price of $14 million per year (Chandler) to anchor a non-existent defensive unit. The signing wasn't bad on paper, but then you realized that their coach, Mike D'Antoni, known for his fast paced, seven seconds or less offense, was heading into this season without a true point guard, a center who's useless offensively outside of ten feet and a still unsettled, ever growing, alpha dog battle between Carmelo and Amar'e.
This is due largely in part to the Knicks horrific shooting woes. In fact, only the Sacramento Kings boast a worse shooting percentage than the orange and blue. The main culprit so far has been the aforementioned Carmelo, who is shooting a career worst 40% from the field on 21+ shots per game, 6 more attempts per than Stoudemire. Meanwhile, while playing for the Knicks West in Denver, Gallinari is putting up career best in points, rebounds, assists, shooting percentage and blocks as he makes his strong case for his first of many All-Star appearances.
For New York the excuses have been plentiful, and although some have been warranted, it can't be overstated enough that the Knicks put themselves in this position, and have no one else to blame for their ineptitudes. By not calling Denver's bluff eleven months ago, the Knicks essentially chose their own fate. Had they waited the situation out, their best case scenario would have been playing the 2012 season with Amar'e, Melo (With Curry/Jeffries off the book, they would have been able to afford to give Melo a max contract last summer), Gallinari, Chandler, Felton, Mosgov, Douglas, Fields, Shumpert and Harrellson.
The worst case scenario would have been bringing back that same early 2011 nucleus (a nucleus that went 28-26 as a unit), with a mid-level free agent (think Kris Humpries and his 10 rpg at $8 mil) and ample cap room to make a run at Dwight or Deron Williams in summer of 2012. Now the fate of their season rests in the hands, and stomach, of Baron Davis.
By now it's painfully obvious that at the very least the Amar'e/Carmelo duo is not playing out as originally hoped. The offense looks stale, Melo is chucking and Amar'e is disappearing late in games for the first time in his career. It could be the coach, it could be the (lack thereof a) point guard, it could be something as simple as not even having a full year to get used to playing with each other. Whatever the reason ends up being, they owe it to the players to let this thing play out.
If I could go back in time would I "ok" the Melo deal? No. But we can't go back in time (yet, at least) so for now I think what's best for the Knicks would be to work with what they've already got. I don't think it's fair to dangle Amar'e's name out there like a carrot every time a disgruntled superstar requests to be traded off their team. You, James Dolan, made your grave, now it's time to lay in it. Or better yet, dig your team out of it! A foolproof way of doing this would be by surrounding your stars with capable, or at the very least competent, role players and a coach who knows how to run a set offense. Figure out who the go to guy is on this team, make it known, but also explain how important whoever the #2 is to whomever it ends up being, and how crucial they are to the teams ultimate success. This guessing game we're in the midst of now isn't going to fix itself without some leadership and guidance from up top.
One last word of advice for James Dolan- at the very least let the gun powder wash off your hands before pulling the trigger again.
-fresh (@danye33)
Great article really well done, does make me sick to read everything that I already know but now it's in writing to show me even clearer. As a die hard knick fan, I really hope something gets turned around.
ReplyDelete