Reeling and Hopefully Dealing!

Yes, Yes.  The Knicks do enter the midpoint of the season with a 22-19 record.  A record that by all intents and purposes is much improved over same point last season.  But the Knicks have had to stomach a harsh reality over the last few weeks.  Losers of their last four and winners of only four of their last ten, there is only one explanation.  To put it in football terms, "THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!”  The Knicks are a .500 team, that in spurts can play with some of the best teams in the NBA.  HOWEVER, the Knicks lack the consistency both offensively and defensively to seriously contend for a top playoff position.  Their defensive effort tends to take the blunt of the criticism, but there is also a need for a consistent scorer.  This was not more apparent then against Houston, where Stoudemire scored a tough 25 and no one else showed up.  This is all too familiar theme.  Of course, there are games like the San Antonio game, when the engine is running on all cylinders and everything they throw up goes in.  However, this is not the norm.  Too many fans became enamored with this Knicks team and began to think they were more than they were.  Even Amare was guilty, when he went on the David Letterman show and proclaimed that he could see the Knicks making a run to the finals.  This is not going to happen, I repeat, this is not going to happen.  The Knicks lack both defensive and consistent scoring.  One move can improve both (even if everyone does not agree).  By making a deal for Carmelo Anthony both the defense and the offense can improve.  This is accomplished not solely through Anthony but by the opening up of a roster spot in order to sign another big man (Earl Barron) who played quality minutes for the Knicks at the end of last season.  The move will most likely leave you with a starting lineup of Felton, Chandler, Anthony, Stoudemire and Turiaf, with Shawne Williams, Earl Barron and Toney D. coming off the bench.  This will also provide an opportunity for guys like Roger Mason Jr. to find some playing time.  While we all love Fields and Gallinari, this lineup is better both offensively and defensively.  It is much harder (as we have seen in Miami) for defenses to plan to stop multiple superstars.  The defense will be less quick to double Stoudemire, if they know he is kicking the ball out to Anthony.  Many people think this can't work, I propose that there is no way it cannot.  This move will also pave the way for another high quality free agent to join the team next offseason, and in less than 5 years Donnie Walsh will have completely transformed the team to one of the best in the NBA.  Write that down.