The Knicks should shut down Carmelo Anthony
The New York Knicks are in hot pursuit of their goal, and should not let Carmelo Anthony get in the way. New York, which sits at 9-38, is closing in on the top pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Anthony, the only player the Knicks have worth talking about, has been dealing with a gimpy knee all season. General manager Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher should get together and make the right move; shut him down.
Anthony is a terrific scorer and can propel New York to a half-dozen wins the rest of the way by simply outgunning another squad. The Knicks, who are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves and only a half-game *ahead* of the Philadelphia 76ers for the league’s worst record, can’t risk winning. The last thing New York fans want to see is a handful of useless wins at the end of a historically awful campaign, hurting the future outlook.
The Knicks have been absolutely brutal since the days of Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley and Pat Riley. The franchise had a miracle run to the NBA Finals in 1999 as an eighth seed under Jeff Van Gundy, but since then it has been ugly. All you need to do is walk up to a fan at Madison Square Garden and say the names Isiah Thomas, Steve Francis, Eddy Curry, Stephon Marbury, Tim Thomas and Antonio McDyess. You might want to duck afterwards.
New York is could finally turn a corner if it does the right thing the rest of this season. The Knicks are in position to get a top pick, perhaps using it to reel in Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns from Duke and Kentucky, respectively. Jackson has to make the correct decisions of leaving Anthony in a suit on the bench for the remainder of the campaign, and subsequently not taking on a cent of future money via trades.
This offseason, New York can make a quick turnaround by targeting marquee free agents in Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge. Gasol would be a textbook fit for the triangle system, a fantastic passer out of the pivot and the best defensive center in the league. If Jackson could pull off the heist and acquire one of the two aforementioned players along with a star rookie to pair with Anthony, the Knicks could be back in business come Oct. 2015.
Anthony might not be thrilled with being told to sit out if he feels healthy enough to play. Still, he can’t get on the court without Fisher putting him into the game. Fisher and Jackson need to hold firm and accept tanking over the final 35 games. It’s distasteful and unfortunate, but professional sports is a dirty business.
New York fans are loyal and smart, they will understand the strategy and support it. Grab a seat, Carmelo.
