The Knicks have a big problem on their hands right now. Namely, that they are winning without their biggest star. What do they do when he comes back?
It wasn’t too long ago that the Knicks got Amar’e Stoudemire. Most people thought that the Knicks paid way too much for a guy with a micro-fracture in his knee. Instead, it turned out to be a good move – Stoudemire is a talented player, and, luckily for the Knicks, a team player.
Then the Knicks got Carmelo Anthony. Most die-hard Knick fans didn’t really want him but since it was clear that the Knicks were going to get him anyway, we were all just hoping for the best. The prevailing expert opinion on Anthony is that he’s a selfish player (think Allen Iverson). These same experts also seem to agree that Anthony will never lead a team to an NBA championship with his me-first attitude.
The owners of the Knicks wanted star power and the coach (Mike D’Antoni) just wanted someone that can play in his system. Now, along comes Jeremy Lin. A guy that works hard and does what the coach asks of him. All of a sudden D’Antoni’s system is working.
Are the Knicks smarter than a fifth grader?
Lin proves that if you follow the game plan, you can win and have some fun. He also proves that teamwork IS more important than overall talent. Maybe Carmelo Anthony would beat Jeremy Lin in a game of one-on-one ten out of ten times, but that’s not how you win an NBA championship.
Anthony will be coming back soon and the Knicks will have to put him in the lineup. Will Anthony ruin all the fun? Or is he smart enough to latch on to what is working and embrace Jeremy Lin? The former game plan seemed to be: pass to Carmelo Anthony and he shoots the ball 40 times a game and just hope that they win.
Now there seems to be a better game plan. The question is: Will the entire team (including Carmelo Anthony) embrace it?
Andy Blank
Mike Frangione
Depends on What the Meaning of the Word 'Blog' is 
If Carmelo Anthony is anything like Iverson, then he’ll never be a team player and go along with all this.
If he wants to win, he should go along with it. If I’m the Knicks, I tread very carefully here. They definitely want to keep this positive vibe going.
Just saw the Stephen A. Smith interview with Carmelo Anthony. His PR people have him saying all the right things. Let’s see how it translates on the court.