Tonight’s Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks game was shaping up to be a statement win for the Knicks. Touting a 6-2 record against teams above 500 since the Carmelo Anthony trade (1-6 against teams below 500), the Knicks at one point held a 15 point lead in the third quarter and were cruising to a much needed win. However as Boston nipped away at the lead, the new Knicks showed no leadership and poise down the stretch, resulting in a statement loss 96-86.
Leadership: There hasn't been any since the trade. It seems as if Amar'e Stoudemire, who built up so much good will over the first half of the season, has taken a back seat to Melo and Chauncey Billups, both in the huddle and on the court.
The Knicks offense late in games is everyone dribbling 30 feet from the basket and hoisting up awful jump shots. There are nights like against Memphis where 20 3 point shots will go in and you win comfortably, but those are rare. It is easy to point the finger at Melo and the new company for the lapses on offense, but it is all coaching.
The most noticeable problem since the trade is that D'Antoni isn’t able to coral his star players when he needs to. D'Antoni had no problem coaching a selfless superstar in Steve Nash, but he is having a real rough time coaching two selfish superstars in Melo and to a lesser extent Amar'e. The way those two are allowed to act on the court is a direct reflection of what little control he has, and it rubs off on everyone on the team.
If the two superstars are allowed to pout after every contested shot, and not be required to play defense, other players will start to think they are entitled to the same rules (where has Landry Fields gone to? His defense has gone out the window since Melo arrived).
Poise: Both of the Knicks star players lose their composure late in close games. They still don't know who should be controlling the ball, who should be the featured piece, and who should defer. These are things everyone knew going into this trade that would take weeks if not months to figure out.
Melo forces his shots late and picks up way too many cheap fouls on the defensive end to be relied on as the featured piece. This Knicks team thrived early in the year when Amar'e was scoring big and being ferocious in the paint. Since Melo has come he has forced Amar'e into the passenger’s seat and a, "stand back and observe” role late in games.
Amar’e is too good a talent to be relegated to this. The Knicks would benefit greatly if he stepped up and shouldered the burden of being the Knicks late game go to guy.
He can handle it.
Trouble: The Knicks barring a Met-esque collapse are a lock for the playoffs, but what they'll do in them is up for debate. Right now you would have to think they don't stand a chance against any of the top 4 teams in the East. They need to use these playoffs as a learning experience for their young players, and build on it for a serious run over the next two seasons.
They have a month to get things together, but with no definitive leadership and absolutely no poise when the game is on the line, it will not happen. Knicks fans can only hope (barring a miraculous playoff run) management wakes up and makes a coaching change.
D'Antoni is a great guy and a good coach, but he isn't the right fit for this team, or any team with title aspirations.
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