SPANISH HARLEM – The trade that everyone expected finally happened on Saturday. The New York Knicks traded Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a second-round pick in 2018. Much has been said about the return the franchise got for Melo but the organization was handcuffed by the no-trade clause in Anthony’s contract. The Knicks got what they thought was the best possible trade and now get to rebuild without any distractions.
Today, I will discuss my feelings on Melo , as well as what to expect this season from Kristaps Porzingis and the Knicks…
While many on this site were thrilled to see Carmelo go, I was sad to hear my favorite player got traded. Unlike most fans, I believed the Knicks never built a team around him that could contend. In a point guard league, the Knicks best floor general of this era was an almost retired (and old) Jason Kidd. Some might even say Jeremy Lin, who only played what amounted to half a season. Say what you want about Melo but please don’t say he was the reason they sucked. If you want to blame someone, blame the Knicks management and I’ll leave it at that.
So what does this all mean for the Knicks this season? It means they will suck. And I’m all for that. Those that have read my articles before on the Knicks know that I want a top 3 pick from this year’s draft class and we are in a better position for that with Melo gone. The organization is saying all the right things by noting they are rebuilding with the young athletic players they have on the roster. Jeff Hornacek is asking the team to run more in transition and play better defense. All things that show they want to establish a new identify without Carmelo Anthony. Will they be good? No but that’s not the point here. Get better throughout the season and show that they can develop the young players, especially their point guard in Frank Ntilikina
This will officially be Kristaps Porzingis team now. The Latvian Gangbanger will now have to lead this team after two years in Carmelo’s shadow. He will become the focal point in an offense that has no second option. It won’t be easy for KP but everyone knew it was going to be his team at some point this season, now it starts earlier than even he expected. He will have to learn that this team will only go as far as he can take them. He has to be the “guy” and demand the ball, especially when the team needs a score. He will have to stay healthy for a full season, which is something that has eluded him in his time with the Knicks. For better or worse, this will be the season when you find out if Porzingis has what it takes to be a franchise player. Now is the time to unleash the Unicorn.
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