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And Just Like That, The Knicks Are Falling Apart Before Our Very Eyes

I have to admit – when the Knicks were rolling without Carmelo Anthony a while back and everyone was predicting doom and gloom once he returned… I wasn’t totally buying it. “Can’t people just give the guy a chance to coexist with Jeremy Lin and not bury the entire thing before it even starts?” I thought. Why, perhaps Melo coming back could even be a good thing – with him, Lin could focus less on scoring and more on facilitating. Sure, you don’t want Melo to totally dominate the ball, but the all the worry about his impending return seemed manufactured, something people were talking about to get riled up, when really, none of us had any idea what would happen.

Well, everyone else was right.

At least, everyone else was right if the New York Post was right this morning when it reported that Melo is upset with the Knicks’ organization (by the way, the Knicks are losers of six straight games), and especially coach Mike D’Antoni. While they added that D’Antoni and Melo have since tried to resolve their differences and “made headway,” with stories like this one from ESPN’s Chris Broussard also painting D’Antoni’s reign in a negative light, it’s hard to imagine he lasts much longer with the team.

That is, unless the Knicks trade Melo (as the Post’s story says he would “prefer,” though he won’t demand a deal). But is there any way that happens? It was only a year ago that the Knicks traded seemingly half their team to get him after endless rumors, and his acquisition was the talk of the league. Can they really give up on the Great Carmelo Experiment after only a year? Or can they make D’Antoni the scapegoat and go for a fresh start with someone else? We know which one we’re betting on.

Another unfortunate part of all this: when Lin first hit the scene, it was a perfect storm of timing, opportunity, playing a bunch of bad teams, a guy just being on fire… but also the offensive system. If D’Antoni goes, does one of the major reasons Lin was so effective for that stretch (and really, he hasn’t been bad since, either, he’s just come back to earth some) go with him? There’s only one way to find out… and based on today’s news, here’s guessing we will. Oh, Knicks. Your glory is so short-lived.

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