He is where he wants, got the big contract, and now has to win.

The team he left is better from the trade.

Got to give it 3 years to see how it pans out but its a tough start.

I hope He can handle the pressure.

Anthony was missing his usual joyful swagger. He looked disengaged for long stretches and lost at other times. He committed an offensive foul in the fourth quarter, then barked at Toney Douglas after a blown play.

During a Pistons inbounds play, a fan taunted, “Carmelo, you’re a baby!” Anthony made eye contact with the fan and shouted back. Seconds later, Villanueva hit another 3-pointer to tie the game at 86-86.

alanhahn Alan Hahn
During that timeout, Carmelo never got off the bench. Stayed in his seat the entire time. Completely expressionless.

Stoudemire restaked his claim as the team leader and the voice of the franchise when he called on Mike D'Antoni to go back to the system the Knicks employed before the trade rather than continue on with this plodding, predictable halfcourt game that D'Antoni surrendered to when Anthony arrived.

"Absolutely, absolutely, that's the way we're going to win," Stoudemire said of the need to get back to the uptempo, pick-and-roll style. "That's the way we've proven that works with the team we had before the trade and it can work with the guys we have now. It's just a matter of us buying into it and really trying to understand that our ultimate goal is to make the playoffs and see what we can do."

Buy in? D'Antoni's nine-man rotation has just three new faces: Chauncey Billups, who, despite his struggles since coming back from injury has been amenable to anything (though he is still having trouble feeding Amar'e in the pick-and-roll similarly to how Ray Felton struggled early on this season), Jared Jeffries, who has played in that system before (and just needs to get his timing back after sitting for most of the season in Houston), and Anthony, who lately has curiously resorted to pinning his man on the post and demanding the ball in isolations. And complaining -- a lot -- when he doesn't get the ball.

Forget his flat jumper and the lack of lift he had in his legs, Anthony's body language was terrible in this game. He was barking at Toney Douglas several times when Douglas opted not to dump the ball down to him. One moment that really stood out was during the 17-0 run in the third quarter -- which was the result of the Knicks speeding up the tempo and moving the ball well for open looks -- when Billups stripped Tayshaun Prince and Douglas raced it up the court. Anthony sprinted down the floor with Douglas and Shawne Williams made it a three-on-one. Douglas dished it to Williams for the dunk that gave the Knicks a 72-65 lead. The Pistons called timeout.

As the Knicks bench exploded, Anthony turned with a smirk and just shook his head, clearly annoyed that Douglas didn't give the ball to him for the easy two. Considering how much the Knicks struggled to get untracked in the first half, this should have been a moment that launched them to a blowout win. Instead, in the midst of a very positive stretch, one of the team's main players was sulking. He played the entire quarter and had just one shot attempt. But his team outscored the opponent, 25-15.

We'll see.

Melo isnt Stephon Marbury. Kobe gets into players asses all the time and no one complains.

The team is flawed. The offense needs to be run through Melo and Amare end of a story. We also need a REAL defensive center.

You cant play no defense night in and night out and expect to win games.

Give it up two different players.

BlueSeats wrote:melo, we know you want the ball, we know you want to be a hero. but know this, you are being judged and you will be judged on your defense and heart. so far, so bad. get it together dude. quickly.

here here

AnubisADL wrote:Here we go....

Melo isnt Stephon Marbury. Kobe gets into players asses all the time and no one complains.

The team is flawed. The offense needs to be run through Melo and Amare end of a story. We also need a REAL defensive center.

You cant play no defense night in and night out and expect to win games.

when you got enough rings such that wearing them all at once would make his hand sparkle brighter than the sun on a clear sky in July, you can do that, right? Especially when you continue to torch guys on the offensive end and lock them down on the other side of the court.

When you are 2-12 and have a history of taking off on the defensive side of things, you do not pass go and do not have the right to carry that stick.

MSG3 wrote:Melo was actually playing great D last night. But it did seem like he was really disengaged. Im not worried about him being Marbury v2 because he's a better player and has STAT around to check him. I think he'll be fine. He was probably just very frustrated at how ****ty he played.

The Knicks are in a bad funk right now. It seems like it becoming different problems on different nights. Last night we lost because Melo and Billups played AWEFUL basketball. Other nights the defensive effort isn't there. We are a dangerous team if we put it all together. It's on Dantoni to bring it all together and even when guys are having bad nights he has to demand that they play hard no matter what.

He was frustrated last night and for good reason...He has great position a few times on a smaller and they just didn't get him the ball..Fields his him twice and well as Douglas on multiple occasions...We really don't have a good passing guard right now...We will see...

It was the year many top players were afraid to go because of Terrorism.

Funny how a guy with super talent can get into situations like being the staring PT on a a team and break a record but can't make others around him better.

TMS, few really hate the trade but gotta remember we had to be sold on it. I doubt anyone wishes themselves to be "right" over wins an succeeding.

elo had to go way coo-coo for the cocoa puffs to be "MeloBury".