The New York Knicks are a mess on and off the floor. On the court, the steady 14-10 start has dissolved into a current record of 19-25. Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with a sore Achilles while Derrick Rose went AWOL and was then added right back into the starting lineup. Courtney Lee was benched in a loss and Joakim Noah remains one of the worst contracts in the league.
None of that tops what happened with Carmelo Anthony this past week. After a post from longtime Phil Jackson confidant Charley Rosen came out disparaging Anthony and questioning if he should remain in New York, it seemed like Anthony was on his way out. It even came to a head when Anthony and Jackson had a meeting to discuss him staying in New York.
New York Daily Post’s Frank Isola broke that Anthony wants to stay and win with the Knicks, killing any chance of a potential trade for the time being.
The Knicks are a mess, and a Carmelo Anthony trade makes sense from their perspective. They have the star to move on with and could rebuild with the assets received in an Anthony trade. However, when you look at the league, where does Anthony fit? Outside of the Celtics – a perfect fit with Anthony at the four with Crowder and Bradley as supreme defenders around him – and maybe the Rockets there’s no clear-cut fit for Anthony on any other team in the league attempting to win.
The right point guard
Before, the thought was that Carmelo Anthony needed to play with a point guard like Rajon Rondo or Chauncey Billups – someone who can run the offense and balance the offense between Anthony and the other four players on the floor. Now, that need is still the same, but the point guard has to be a better defender.
Derrick Rose is a fine offensive point guard, but he’s horrible on the defensive end, barely able to stay in front of most starters in the league. The next iteration of New York Knicks point guard has to be able to balance the floor offensively and bring it on the defensive end. There are three ideal players for the Knicks to fill the point guard role: George Hill, Jrue Holiday and Kyle Lowry.
Hill and Holiday are of the same ilk. Steady point guard who can space the floor and defend both guard positions. Holiday is a bit taller, but he is an injury risk. Hill is the better bet, but he’s also older, and the backend of the contract could be dangerous. Either way, they aren’t as dynamic as Rose is, but both are better constants on each end.
The addition of Lowry would take the Knicks up a level. Lowry is the best point guard in the Eastern Conference, thanks to his ability to dominate on both ends of the floor. His arrival to Toronto has taken them from also-rans to contenders in the Eastern Conference. Much like Hill, a Lowry deal would be worrisome because of his age, but the Knicks take a massive leap forward with Lowry in place of Rose.
Fixing The Defensive Issue
One of the biggest issues for New York is their defense. The Knicks just can’t do it. 26th in the league in defensive efficiency, even after making that a priority this offseason. Noah is a shell of himself while Lee isn’t making any waves on the New York defense, as the Knicks are slightly better with him on the floor.
If Carmelo Anthony is staying in New York for the foreseeable future, it has to be at the power forward position. For his and the team’s sake. Anthony is a terrible defender and should see as little time on the perimeter as the team can afford. Putting him next to Porzingis and Noah at the five should mitigate some of the lack of defensive value Anthony brings.
Meaning the Knicks have to improve on the perimeter. Not easy. The 3-and-D archetype is one of the hardest to acquire. New York has several players who can at least imitate the role in Lee, Lance Thomas and Justin Holiday, but the Knicks will need another player who can take that role. Those three are fine, but only Lee has starter capabilities.
This is an issue for the Knicks, but it’s an issue for several teams in the league. If the Knicks continue to toil away at the bottom of the lottery, this might be the position where the Knicks should consider adding another 3-and-D prospect to their roster. Someone like Indiana’s OG Anunoby or Michigan State’s Miles Bridges makes sense as guys who can shuffle on the perimeter and help improve New York’s defense.
Another year, another season and offseason where the Knicks will be trying to win in Carmelo Anthony’s window. Last season, the Knicks added Noah and Lee in free agency and traded for Rose, hoping to capitalize on Anthony’s window. The hope was that Rose would return back to his MVP form, Noah would combine with Porzingis and stabilize the defense and Lee would provide enough value at the shooting guard position to help the Knicks. So far, that’s 1-for-3.
Keeping Carmelo Anthony will change New York’s trajectory in the long haul, but the road is not bare. For all of Phil Jackson’s shortcomings, the Knicks made some decent free agent moves the summer before, and Jackson has valued the draft more than any recent GM. With three picks in this year’s class and all of the team’s future first round picks, the Knicks could perhaps hit on a gem or two to help for next season and for the near future.
Having Porzingis in the fold gives New York a player who can take the reigns from Anthony as the decline comes. Having decent role players and shooters around them already in the fold could help New York evolve into a better team. But the key for the Knicks? Finding a better point guard, improving on the defensive end and hitting on their draft picks.
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