Knicks Starting To Look Like The Old Knicks Of The Past Decade

Has the Carmelo Anthony deal hurt or helped the Knicks so far?

The New York Knicks started off the season very hot. They brought in some great talent in Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton. They also brought over Timofey Mosgov from Europe, and matured young stars, Wilson Chandler, Tony Douglas, and Danilo Gallinari. The Knicks also signed a steal of the draft, Landry Fields and yes, they brought in the energizer bunny, Rony Turiaf.

Coming into all-star weekend, the Knicks were 6th in the East and a few games over .500%. They were making ground on the Hawks, and with the Heat and Celtics slumping, everyone thought the Knicks could be serious title contenders.

Then the Knicks pulled off the trade of the decade for them. They brought in Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and a few other scrubs, but in return had to give up Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry, and multiple draft picks.

Many thought the Knicks gave up too much for 'Melo but fans were still too eager to see 'Melo and "Stat" play alongside each other. In Carmelo Anthony's first game, the Knicks defeated the Bucks at the garden and the fans went nuts.

Now a month later, Knicks fans aren't so confident this trade was worth it.

The Knicks all season long have been a streaky team. They win five in a row and then lose the next five.
The Knicks are currently in their worst slump of the season, losing the last six in a row, and nine out of ten total. Out of these last nine losses, six have had losing records, so it's not like the Knicks had a tough schedule.

Also, Carmelo and Amar'e have both been off since the beginning of this trade. Both have been taking around 20-25 shots a game, but only an average of about eight go in. Billups was playing good basketball, until he got hurt, and now he is still looking to regain his mojo. The problem with Carmelo and Amar'e is that both don't want to be selfish (despite shooting 25 shots per game), and are taking awkward shots when they have the ball. They will also pass up on good opportunities to score.

Also the Knicks have the worst defense in the NBA. Coach Mike D'Antoni runs a great fast paced offense, but probably hasn't said the word "defense" this whole season to his team. Sure, the Knicks average 106 points per game, the second most in the league, but they also give up around 106 points per game which is the third worst in the NBA.

Another problem killing the Knicks is the depth of the roster. After giving up six solid players for Carmelo and Chauncey,  the Knicks have been forced to use a seven man rotation, after using a ten man roation. The starters are playing too many minutes and are tired at the end of the game, which makes it harder for the Knicks to make a late run, or hold onto a lead.

The Knics now find themselves, at 35-38, and have dropped to seventh place in the East. The good news is that the Knicks schedule lightens up. They do face the Magic at MSG in their next game, but after that face the Nets, Cavs, Raptors, Sixers, Nets again, and then the Pacers. The Knicks finish out the season with games against the Bulls and Celtics, which will be tests to see how far the Knicks can go in the playoffs.