THE HARD KNICK LIFE NOW
Melo’s gone, and so is MSG buzz
OKLAHOMA CITY — Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game scoring record isn’t in jeopardy, but that doesn’t mean Carmelo Anthony won’t be looking to make a statement on Thursday in his first game with his new team that just happens to be against his former team.
How does 30 points sound? Or 40? Considering that the Knicks under Jeff Hornacek treat defending as a voluntary assignment, anything is possible.
The bitterness from Anthony’s final season in New York surfaced this week when he said in an interview that he felt that Phil Jackson was trying to run him out of town. (What could have given him that impression?) Anthony even told the New York Times that Jackson was willing to trade him for “a bag of chips,” which isn’t entirely accurate. The Rockets’ Ryan Anderson may have a bloated contract but he’s a more than serviceable player.
Anthony left the Knicks on good terms, aided by Jackson being fired three months before Anthony’s trade to Oklahoma City was finalized. That has taken some of the edge off Thursday’s Knicks-Thunder season opener, but if the first two days of the NBA season have taught us anything, it’s that we should expect the unexpected. One player was taken to the hospital with a broken leg and another was hospitalized with a broken face. The Golden State Warriors are 0-1. And that was just Day 1.
So the Knicks would be welladvised to proceed with caution starting against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It can be dangerous out there, especially when you don’t have the talent or defensive system in place to compete with the big boys, and especially when the other team has Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo.
“It’s going to be a challenge for me,” Kristaps Porzingis said of guarding Anthony.
It’s great that Porzingis has Anthony covered. But who stops George and Westbrook, the reigning MVP who averaged a triple-double last season. This has the potential to be a long night to begin what looks to be a long season.
Westbrook and George know what this game means to Anthony and they’ll see to it that he gets his points, no matter how many shots it takes. By the end of the first quarter you can already hear the OKC crowd chanting “Mel-o, Mel-o.”
There is certainly an odd feel to this Knicks season, which probably has a lot to do with Jackson’s firing and Carmelo’s trade to the Thunder. The controversial president is gone as is the team’s best and most experienced player. The buzz is gone, too.
It’s as if everyone — fans, media, players, coaches and executives — are resigned to 2017-18 being a rebuilding year that will pay dividends in the form of a high draft pick next June. That’s the realistic approach for a franchise that has won just a single playoff series in 17 years and counting.
Could the Knicks defy the odds and make a push for eighth place in the East? Sure. If Porzingis stays healthy and has a breakout season, anything is possible.
It’s already been an unpredictable season. Hours before the Cavs’ home opener against Boston on Tuesday, Chicago Bulls teammates Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic got into a shoving match at practice that resulted in Portis hitting Mirotic in the face with a sucker punch. The Bulls promptly suspended Portis eight games.
Chicago is a mess right now and they just might finish with the NBA’s worst record. Meanwhile, one of the league’s elite teams, Boston, saw Gordon Hayward suffer a dislocated and fractured left ankle. Two separate injuries dramatically alter the landscape in the East from top to bottom.
The Knicks know this from experience. A knee injury to Carmelo three years ago ended the Knicks’ season in February and, honestly, they haven’t recovered since.
The Celtics are far better equipped to handle the loss of Hayward, much like the ’97-98 Knicks were well-equipped to handle the loss of Patrick Ewing to a hand injury in December. The Knicks reached the playoffs as the seventh seed and upset Miami in the first round.
Don’t expect this Knicks team to do anything close to that in the early days of the post-Melo era. Carmelo demanded double teams, could score 30 on any given night and had the respect of opponents and referees alike. The Knicks believe Porzingis can be that player in time.
The third-year forward from Latvia is about to understand the hard way that Carmelo was his security blanket. Anthony was smart to get out when he did while Jackson escaped with a golden parachute and dreadful record as a basketball executive. His coaching legacy is safe. His days as the top decision maker are over.
“I think Phil Jackson got kind of a bad rap, to be honest with you,” TNT’s Charles Barkley said. “They started losing, the press turned on Phil and once they start going against you and you’re losing, it’s just a matter of time.”
Yes Charles, the losing had something to do with it. Historic losing, in fact. Three years ago, the Knicks won 17 games, which led to Porzingis. It’s very possible that the Knicks may only win between 17 and 25 games this year. That will lead to a high pick.
At least the draft will generate some buzz, because right now the Knicks don’t have any. GETTY