What Knicks would look like with CP3
A few summers ago, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh discussed among themselves how much fun it would be to play together and how successful they could be if they joined forces. Thus, the new Miami Heat were born.As recently as two weeks ago, Carmelo Anthony (who forced his way off the Denver Nuggets and onto the New York Knicks last season) was stumping for New Orleans point guard and close friend Chris Paul to join him and Amare Stoudemire in the Big Apple, forming their own version of the big three.
"If it works out and he comes here and they allow him to come here, you'll see a smile from ear to ear," Anthony said. "It's not just me. It's everybody in New York."
There are several factors (most of them money-related) that could stand in the way of Paul landing in New York, but for this exercise, we decided to jump ahead and focus on what the on-court impact would be if Paul did join the Knicks. Here's what a CP3-Melo-Stat trio would look like:
On defense
This might come as a surprise, but adding Paul to the Knicks' starting lineup will have a more dramatic effect on their defense than their offense. Most importantly, it's on the defensive end that New York needs the most help. The Knicks ranked in the league's bottom eight in team defense last season.
Certainly, Stoudemire and Anthony have never been known as staunch defenders, but the decline of an aging Chauncey Billups as a defender hampered the pair's ability to get into proper defensive position. Both Stoudemire and Anthony need a point guard who can create turnovers and help spearhead good starting position on every defensive possession. Someone such as Paul also can inhibit opposing point guards from playing 5 on 4 after using a good breakdown dribble-drive move.
Of course, Paul is no Rajon Rondo, but he's still one of the best point guards in basketball at accomplishing those things. He's not the anchor of the defense like a center can be, but he's an "organizer," which is just as important.
Complementing Melo
When most fans think of Anthony, they envision his terrific skill set on the perimeter, with great jab-and-go moves. Or they think of his mature post game, with which he backs guys down when he's not exploding by them with a quick first-step move.
Another thing about Melo that opposing coaches know all too well is that he's devastating in transition, and not just filling the wing on the break. During the 24-second clock possession, Anthony takes more shots in the first 10 seconds (39 percent) than in any other range and has a field goal percentage of .565 when shooting within the first 10 seconds, his best percentage of any time frame. By comparison, James gets just 36 percent of his shots in the first 10 seconds, and Kevin Durant sat at 33 percent last season.
The key to Anthony is his talent at grabbing important space near the rim in transition and then knowing how to score from there. Post defense is at its weakest in transition, before helpers arrive or recognize the threats. Paul is not the fastest-paced "pusher" of action in the NBA, but he's among the smartest; he's alert to scoring opportunities that could develop before they are actually open.
And Paul is a genius at getting defenses to organize against a decoy threat (using himself as the decoy) so he can create an even more dangerous threat for someone else. That someone would be Anthony flying down the wing, flopping to the other side and sealing the defender under the rim before taking a pass from Paul and getting the easy bucket or earning a trip to the free throw line.
Complementing Amare
Over the years, there have been many devastating offensive plays from many teams and players. However, one of the most effective featuring two players was the high and flat middle-ball screen with Steve Nash and Stoudemire in Phoenix. Stoudemire's ability to catch the ball 15 feet away from the rim, in the middle of the court with as many as six bodies nearby, and deftly maneuver to the rim for the finish is perhaps the single most consistently impressive athletic feat a big man in the NBA has accomplished in a decade.
It is extremely hard to make that kind of play over and over again, and frankly, very few guys with size have the agility to do it at all, although Clippers forward Blake Griffin has the physical skills, just not the polish yet.
Stoudemire can blow past defenders who are coming to pinch the middle before they get there. He also can swivel his hips fluidly like a 5-foot-9 cornerback in football, allowing him to move past guys at different angles while also using his body to protect the ball as he does it.
In addition, he has great hands to go with quick feet, so he can catch the ball early in the action, which tends to be a low bounce pass underneath the outstretched arms and hands of the defender, or he'll dunk an alley-oop pass late in the action. Stoudemire's above-average shooting ability also factors into his scoring repertoire and cannot be underestimated.
All of this is to say that while Paul is not the shooter Nash is (no other point guard is, really), he's certainly good enough to hurt teams. If defenses zone in on Stoudemire's movements as the top priority when New York runs him in high ball screens, Paul will be able to get into the lane for high-percentage shots. In the past four years, Paul has made shots within the lane more than 50 percent of the time.
With double-teams on Stoudemire, Paul also will have open looks behind the 3-point line, from which he shot nearly 39 percent in 2010-11. When defenses somehow both clog Stoudemire's lane to the rim and defend Paul's dribble, Anthony will have, at most, just one defender to beat for an easy basket.
Anthony got his wish last winter when he arrived in New York. The Eastern Conference will have to take notice if he gets his wish again.
David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com's Scouts Inc. and executive director of the Pro Training Center in Clearwater, Fla., where he oversees player development for NBA and college players.
