Ball or Nuthin' » Carmelo Anthony

Can Jeremy Lin Work His Magic on Melo and Amar’e?

T Lamont — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:07:38 +0000

If you’ve been hiding under a rock, then there’s a chance that you may not have heard about New York’s latest savior.

That’s right – the one not named Carmelo Anthony or Amar’e Stoudemire.

I’m referring to a 6’3″ guard from Harvard – yes, Harvard – by the name of Jeremy Lin.

You may be saying to yourself, isn’t it a travesty to have an NBA positional player from Harvard who outshines his peers in the same position from Arizona (Mike Bibby), Georgia Tech (Iman Shumpert), Florida State (Toney Douglas) and UCLA (Baron Davis)?

And I would say “yes.”

And perhaps I am being crass when I say this, but the Knicks can use a player that has attended such an esteemed academic institute. It may take an advanced scholar to get the talented New York roster to work together in harmony.

Lin has orchestrated three consecutive wins for the Knicks, a team whose fans display their affection in tune with the former Janet Jackson hit, “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”. While only one of the Knicks’ last three opponents has a winning record, the fact that Lin has not simply been a participant in the process says something. In addition, J-Lin outscored each Anthony and Stoudemire in the first of the three contest, then led New York to two wins without either of them. Please note that outside of ‘Melo and A-Stat, Mike D’Antoni has little to no offensive talent to speak of.

Can J-Lin provide us with an encore performance against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers?

Lin’s stats during this mini-run have bordered on unbelievable for someone with so little fanfare: 25.3 points on 58% FG and 8.3 assists.

How could someone with this type of potential have been overlooked? Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There remains more than half of the season to go, and three games is a small sample size by which to judge a player – especially a young one such as Lin.

But what should not be taken for granted is that he appears to be an immediate upgrade from any of the remaining four point guard alternatives on New York’s payroll. For now, let’s live with that fact and hope that Lin can prove to be a bridge over troubled waters – those waters being the lack of cohesion between New York’s two previous saviors.

And if he is triumphant in his next quest, he will have earned it – at the expense of Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

‘Melo-drama’ Brewing in NYC?

T Lamont — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:39:04 +0000

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They’re 7-11…and clearly their performance has not equaled the sum of their parts.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we’re talking about none other than the New York Knickerbockers.

They were the talk of the town during last year’s stretch run…headlined by a star-studded trio assembled through two transactions: a $100-million free agent signing and a long-rumored mid-season blockbuster trade.

While one of the trio has departed for what seems to be greener grass (Billups to the Los Angeles Clippers), the other two have remained as the projected centerpieces of a basketball revival in the city commonly viewed as a hoops hotbed.

But to say that things haven’t gone smoothly in the Big Apple would be a vast understatement thus far.

And now this: A couple of nights ago, Carmelo Anthony has gone on record and done something that we never thought he would have.

“We as a team need to do a better job getting Amar’e the ball. I have the ball in my hands. Maybe it’s on me. Maybe I have to give him the ball a little more, help him out with that. We’ll talk probably [today] and try to figure it out together. If I’m doing too much, I want him to tell me. I want the guys on the team to tell me if I’m doing too much.’’

‘Melo continued:

“Maybe I need not to take so many shots. That’s just a bunch of thoughts that go through my mind. Coming down, taking less shots. Figuring out ways to make other guys better. Should I pass it more?’’

That’s right – ‘Melo is actually double-guessing his shot selection.

Since coming home to New York, Anthony has had very little to smile about.

The game following these comments, Melo posted a career-low 1 point outing in a lambasting of the Charlotte Bobcats, 111-78 – the Kincks’ largest margin of victory in a decade. Anthony was 0-11 from the floor, however, the New York bigs (Stoudemire and Chandler) played especially well.

But right when the team appeared to find a winning formula, they come out tonight and succumb to the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers by 10. Carmelo put up 15 tomight (on 14 field goal attempts) and actually led the team with 6 assists.

The voices concerning ‘Melo’s shot selection have certainly reared their heads in the wake of New York’s early season struggles. But does New York really expect Anthony to be a playmaker? The former Orangeman has always been one of the more complete offensive players in the league, and has been a black hole when the rock makes it to him. He only makes kick out passes as necessary, and he has never purposed himself to be a creative force for others on his team.

The situation at hand clearly reveals a more damaging truth that New York has failed to address – their need for a true point guard. There have been very few NBA point guards that exist within the bodies of forwards: a short list that includes Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen and LeBron James. It’s a mold that Carmelo Anthony definitely cannot fit into, and he shouldn’t even entertain any thoughts of it.

With a pair of 20-point scorers on the roster – and neither of them being a point guard, New York has to make the acquisition of a floor general a priority. Depending which one is on the court, their current trio of Iman Shumpert, Mike Bibby and Toney Douglas is either too shot happy, too slow or too inexperienced. The team is holding its breath and hoping for the best with the return of Baron Davis, but his overall decline in health and athleticism makes him more of a liability than an asset.

So, the ‘Melo-drama’ will likely continue until the Knicks pledge to find a solution to their real problem – how to find the missing piece that can allow two All-Stars to shine at the same time.

Grizzlies Expose Knicks’ Weaknesses

T Lamont — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:15:50 +0000

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Indeed, it’s quite early in this NBA campaign.

Yet, there are certain teams that are supposed to coast into the postseason, easily handling those unfortunate teams that don’t have the star power to match up.

The New York Knicks are considered to be members of that group.

Tonight, the Memphis Grizzlies – a Western conference semifinalist from a year ago – showed us why the Knicks are not quite there:

1. New York has limited back-to-the-basket offensive options. While Tyson Chandler, Josh Harrelson and Amar’e Stoudemire have varying degrees of talent, they have one thing in common: a lack of an offensive repertoire in the low post. Carmelo Anthony is the Knicks’ best scorer and best post player, but he’s not a natural creator and won’t always demand the double-team that role players need to get open looks at the tin.

2. Point guard, or should I say, Iman Shumpert. After two relatively ho-hum starts, the Georgia Tech product reverted to being an overanxious rookie in Memphis tonight. Shumpert scored 12 points, dished out 3 assists and collected 4 steals. The good ends there for him. He shot 5-20 from the floor, and his shot selection might have even made Kobe Bryant cringe (maybe). Shumpert is far from being considered a knock-down shooter, but he didn’t hesitate to shoot New York out of this game. Pull-up triples on the break, no rebounders under the boards, no problem. Shumpert kept his own team fighting for shots, with no rhythm on either end of the floor. The rook’s performance forced the Knicks to tell Mike Bibby to pull off his warm-ups and gave Baron Davis hope.

Against Memphis tonight, Iman Shumpert never met a shot he didn't like.

3. Carmelo Anthony was attacked by his opposing number. It’s not new news to hear that Anthony isn’t the most interested defender. But with Zach Randolph out of the lineup, it seemed to be easily assumed that Rudy Gay would get more than his usual share of opportunities. But Gay scored from the inside, outside, and just about everywhere in between. He made all of the right decisions, and ended up shooting 11-16, scoring 26 points.

4. New York got three-point happy. Sure, they were behind (by as many as 24 at one point), and treys cut into the deficit quickly. Made treys. The Knicks didn’t shoot bad from beyond the arc, but their attempt total (26) compared to the Grizzlies (12) told the story of the game. Memphis kept attacking, and New York kept settling.

The good news is that the Knicks have plenty of time to fix these ailments.

But unless their players change their tendencies, New York could be in for another flame out early in the postseason.

CP3 Proves New CBA Doesn’t Matter

T Lamont — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:26:48 +0000

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As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, it began to seem unlikely that NBA basketball would occur in 2011, or perhaps even 2012.

Thankfully, our summer of discontent is over.

Now that the league is about to officially resume business as usual, the media has initiated its continuous buzz of trade rumors.

And the new season, under a new collective bargaining agreement, is looking a lot like last season.

For those that need a refresher, the 2010-2011 NBA campaign afforded fans the luxury of seeing the formation of two ‘mega-teams:’ the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks.

Of course, tension erupted even before the season commenced with the departure of a certain two-time MVP from his native area. It appeared that LeBron James’ declaration to do whatever it takes to win a championship – meaning surround himself with comparable All-Star talent – struck a chord with other superstars across the league. So, after Chris Bosh announced his decision to join forces with Dwyane Wade in South Beach, it was clear that James was trying to do just that.

And while some may say that neither James nor Bosh forced their way out of town, others can argue that their play exemplified their eagerness to skip out of town.

But that was hardly the end of the trend.

From day one of the season, drama in Denver captivated the attention of even the most casual fan – as the Nuggets went through the gut-wrenching process of figuring out what to do with its franchise star, Carmelo Anthony. It was Anthony’s refusal to agree to a contract extension that clearly stated his intentions to entertain other potential destinations. And the end result: ‘Melo is now playing hoops alongside his former teammate Chauncey Billups and power forward stud Amare Stoudemire in his hometown of the Big Apple.

As the year wore on, there were sudden reports coming out of Utah of a rift between Jerry Sloan and perennial All-Star Deron Williams. The bottom line was that Williams wasn’t happy, and the Jazz management knew it. Rather than let him drag out his trade negotiations in a public fashion, Utah hastily shipped him to New Jersey for some fresh, young talent.

Paul has his sights set on bigger NBA markets.

With the scenario of players demanding their way out of organization lingering in mind, Chris Paul is at it once again.

It was about a year ago that the rumor mill began churning regarding Paul’s desire to play elsewhere, preferably New York. Almost predictably, his desire was to team with Anthony and Stoudemire to form another ‘big three’ with about as much star power as the one in Miami. Paul, attempting to massage his image a bit, backed off of his pressing and recoiled his request, stating that he was content in the Big Easy.

But, it was easy to see that a line had been drawn in the sand. CP3 was merely giving the front office time to get to work, and come up with a way to get him out of town.

What’s startling to me is the list of teams who have been mentioned as suitors for Paul – the Knicks, the Celtics and the Lakers. The fact that these three teams are first in line illustrates that last year’s trend is still alive and well. It also illustrates that a major factor in NBA labor negotiations – big-market versus small-market competitiveness – will remain an issue for the indefinite future.

In labor meetings, the owners reported that 22 of the league’s team were losing money, signifying a gap in the NBA’s teams based on their market and location. And with teams such as New York, Boston and Los Angeles being noted for their success and/or superstars on the hardwood, the prospect of adding another player that caliber of Chris Paul only figures to widen the gap that already exists.

Can New Orleans, Denver and Cleveland really compete with the likes of New York and Miami?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Knicks Better Not Forget Their Meal Ticket

T Lamont — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:36:35 +0000

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Amar’e Stoudemire has to be holding his breath yet again.

As anticipated, Carmelo Anthony thoroughly enjoyed the spotlight in his Madison Square Garden debut as a member of the New York Knicks. Anthony finished the night with 27 points and 10 rebounds, as the home team triumphed 114-108.

But, in typical ‘Melo fashion, the newcomer was far from efficient – taking 25 field goal attempts in the process. Fellow All-Star Stoudemire had the next highest number of shots – a mere 13. Of course, Wednesday night was all about Anthony coming back home. But against a team with only one true interior defender (Andrew Bogut), Stoudemire’s presence should have been more domineering.

However, it’s not like A-Stat hasn’t been taken for granted before. In Phoenix, he was consistently on the trading block when the deadline came around. The Suns knew they weren’t going to give him the money that he wanted. In a nutshell, they didn’t treat him like a major impact player. And after a deep playoff run last season, Steve Nash and company have been a mediocre mess this year.

So far this season, Stoudemire has received nothing respect and admiration for the MVP-type effort that he gave for New York prior to Anthony’s arrival. But if New York aspires to any level of long-term success, it must ensure that Stoudemire is not solely viewed as a secondary offensive option. The Eastern Conference is loaded with All-Star caliber perimeter players, but the truly elite teams are able to establish some form of dominance from within the interior (outside of that team from South Beach, of course). Orlando, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta all have inside ruggedness that balances out their level of perimeter skill.

Anthony was the center of attention in the Garden on Wednesday night.

Of all of the interior options on the East’s best teams, Stoudemire trumps them all from a standpoint of offensive completeness. Amar’e has shown the ability to attack the rim with ferocity and nail the free-throw line extended jumper – and, in fact, he has shown even more range than in prior seasons.

The bottom line is that we all understand the love fest with ‘Melo. The New York native returns home to help elevate the hopes of the locals. It’s a great story.

But if the Knicks are aspiring toward a happy ending, they had better not fail to realize that their resurgence began on the shoulders of Amar’e Stoudemire.