The New York Knicks Need Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire To Make It Work … Together.

 

How far the Knicks can progress depends on Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. (Al Bello/Getty Images North America)

The New York Knicks won’t have Linsanity driving fans wild when the 2012-2013 season starts, however they will have Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. If the Knicks are going to take the next step in their progression, the focus must be on finding a way to get Anthony and Stoudemire to play well together.

Everyone knows what Anthony and Stoudemire can do individually on the court. Anthony has been a flat-out scorer since he came into the league in 2003. Stoudemire basically put the Knicks on his back when he arrived in New York City. However, since Anthony’s arrival to the Knicks they have not been effective on the court together.

What it might take to get these two men to click on the court together is what they’ve not had and that’s stability at the point guard position. They also need to find a way to stay healthy.

The reality here is that no matter how many different ways we try to cut this cake and analyze it, the Knicks are committed financially to Anthony and Stoudemire. Both are owed big-time money over the next couple of seasons and Stoudemire’s injury history makes his contract nearly impossible to move anyway.

 Balance. Jeremy Lin won’t be running the point, however Jason Kidd will be and Raymond Felton also is back with the team. They’ll be counted on for leadership and good decision-making. Stoudemire’s excellent in the pick and roll, Anthony thrives in isolation plays. If the Knicks can find a way to balance this out with the right mix, the result could be very rewarding. The addition of Kidd and Felton should help provide that.

 It’s going to be up to head coach Mike Woodson to find a way to make itwork. The fate of the Knicks season will depend on it. Former head coach Mike D’Antoni couldn’t do it, Woodson will now have a full season to enforce his demand for accountability on the two superstars and faces of the team. Time will tell if that is going to be enough.

Amar’e Stoudemire Fined $50K For Offensive Language

~ The Knicks Amar’e Stoudemire found himself in hot water with the NBA for tweeting a gay slur in a direct message formatted response towards a fan who had took it upon himself to tell Stoudemire that he needed to step his game up next season. The fan took a screenshot of Stoudemire’s message and put it out on twitter for everyone to see, including the NBA.

 The tweet cost Stoudemire $50,000. The league fined him for “using offensive and derogatory language in a Twitter message.”

 Stoudemire did apologize to the fan and has taken accountability for it, however I’m sure he knew as soon as he pressed send on that tweet that his wallet was going to be significantly lighter within a few days. It’s another example of professional athletes paying the price for not remembering that twitter is very public. When you press send, you have to be prepared for the response you’re going to receive … positive or negative.