Poor Carmelo Anthony. Anthony hasn’t looked comfortable in Coach Mike D’Antoni's offense since coming to the New York Knicks via trade last year.
Sure he has gotten his points on occasion but usually at the
cost of disrupting the team’s offensive rhythm. And with Jeremy Lin's emergence as a third option behind both Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks
were expected to become one of the league’s most potent offenses and threaten the
powers that be in the Eastern Conference.
Especially now that they have a full roster. The New York
Knicks have been seemingly missing parts all season. So what do they do now
that they are finally at full staff? They lose games.
The Knicks have gone 3-7 in the past ten games and are
currently on a four-game losing streak as they prepare to face the Philadelphia
76ers on Sunday.
So why has Anthony failed to mesh in D’Antoni’s system? Many
think that it’s because Anthony’s game is tailor made for a half-court offense
while D’Antoni likes to run a wide open offense that pushes the ball and runs a
lot of pick-and-rolls.
Those aren’t two of Anthony’s strong points but D’Antoni has
failed to get Anthony comfortable playing his style. He has also failed to
adjust his offense to adapt to Anthony’s strengths.
With all of the talent that the Knicks possess there is no
reason they shouldn’t be playing better but there could be a savior on the
horizon.
Enter Phil Jackson. Phil is an ex-Knick who was with the team
during both of its championship years. He has had a lot of success winning 11
championships as a coach for both Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers and
could be intrigued by the challenge of bringing another championship to New York.
The talent is there and Jackson is one of the all-time best
coaches at getting talent and personalities to mesh. He could provide the
perfect remedy to the Knicks’ losing woes.
It may interest Jackson to one-up Pat Riley. Riley lead the
Lakers to four championships years before Jackson came in and won his five.
Riley was unsuccessful bringing a championship to New York during his time
there though.
Jackson and his Bulls were a major reason for that, thwarting
the Knicks at every turn. Still the opportunity to accomplish something no
other Knicks' coach has accomplished in nearly 40 years could light Jackson’s
competitive fire.
Especially when you consider Jackson’s unceremonious exit
from Los Angeles. Jackson was forced to take a pay cut by his former boss and
his team played some of its worst ball during the playoffs last year sending
Jackson off in a less than stellar fashion.
So hopefully the Knicks management will make a strong push
for Jackson’s services. This city is long overdue for a championship basketball
team and besides that, it would be a shame to waste all of that talent they
have amassed.
Do you think the Knicks should make a coaching change and if so who do you think would be a good fit? Please comment and let us know what you think.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and is also an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He can be contacted at RHall_TPFB@Yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist and add him on Facebook Roosevelt Hall Thesportmentalist.
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