NBA Trade Rumors: Why New York Knicks Should Trade Carmelo Anthony Before Deadline
At 4-17, the New York Knicks are off to their worst start in franchise history.
The Knicks have lost their last seven consecutive games, including nine of their last 10, and it appears as if no one is responding to head coach Derek Fisher. The Knicks rank fourth in the Atlantic Division, only one spot ahead of the dreadful 1-18 Philadelphia 76ers, and third worst in the Eastern Conference. Spike Lee hasn't done much celebrating at Madison Square Garden this season.
There's so much blame to go around, but the biggest disappointment has been the offense. The Knicks currently rank 27th overall in points scored per game.
Carmelo Anthony is widely considered one of the best players in the NBA today, but James Dolan and the Knicks just have to move on from this experiment. Unfortunately, the "Carmelo Anthony Era" has been a failure.
Anthony recently said, "It came down to Chicago and New York. Chicago was the one that, from day one, was something that I was very impressed with. They was looking for a person like me to come in and just take them to the next level. ... So it was perfect. It was a perfect setup, perfect fit for me in Chicago. But then also I had to think about just living in Chicago. Do I want to live in Chicago? Do I want to take everything that I created in New York and move all of that? It came down to that."
Obviously, the Chicago Bulls would be a better fit as they lack a true scorer but have a solid defensive unit. Anthony even referred to the Bulls as "a perfect fit." But the Bulls don't play in Manhattan, New York City. It appears as if the only reason Anthony shows up to games and performs is because he likes playing in a Knicks uniform. That's not a very uplifting feeling for a franchise that hasn't won a championship since 1973.
Anthony has made it out of the first round of the playoffs just twice in his entire 12-year career.
With Anthony, the Knicks have just one postseason series victory (2013 against Boston Celtics), and many NBA fans are starting to think Anthony is un-coachable. Since Anthony arrived in the Big Apple in 2011, the Knicks have had three different head coaches. Anthony also hasn't shown that he can adjust very well to players around him, like Amar'e Stoudemire or Jeremy Lin.
Having said that all that, it's time for the Knicks and Anthony to part ways.
Trading Anthony away won't be easy. Not only is he an expensive player, but he currently has a no-trade clause in his contract. We've seen multiple players waive their no-trade clause in the past. One of the most notable players being Kevin Garnett.
The Knicks can't just trade Anthony out of the blue, but they can work the system to their advantage. The biggest thing the Knicks can do is threaten to release Anthony. Cutting the 30-year-old small forward would save the Knicks salary cap space, and Anthony would lose money. Most likely Anthony would rather be traded than to be cut entirely. The Knicks can also offer to trade Anthony to a championship caliber team.
More and more Knicks fans are losing faith in Anthony.
NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith suggested on ESPN that the Knicks should trade Anthony. It's not all Anthony's fault as Smith says. But James Dolan and the rest of management still have plenty of work to do, and it's time to rebuild. Why keep a great player around year after year when you're not winning anyway? The Knicks should at least try and get value while they still can for a better future.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. EST
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