Sometimes it was a phone call. On other occasions, it was a recruiting pitch over dinner.

In some form or another, Carmelo Anthony and Derek Fisher have been in touch throughout the summer.

In fact, as soon as Anthony re-signed with the Knicks, Fisher handed Anthony a playbook with the team’s new triangle offense.

“I speak to him all the time,” Anthony said of Fisher, according to an article posted on PrimeraHora.com and translated by ESPN Deportes' Marly Rivera. “He is as excited to start this season as I am, which you don’t see very often in coaches. Usually you see coaches that worry about you, that call you to check how you are and what you need. And he has already developed a good relationship with me in that sense. I believe that our relationship will be very positive.”

Fisher's relationship with Anthony -- and, more important, his effect on Anthony's performance on the court -- will be one of the more interesting aspects of this Knicks season.

Below, we take a look at some of the aspects of Anthony's game that Fisher can impact:

1. Late-game scoring: Last season, Carmelo’s shooting percentage dipped significantly late in games. He shot 47.9 percent from the field in the first quarter, 49.3 percent in the second quarter and 45.2 percent in the third quarter. But in the fourth quarter, Anthony shot just 38.0 percent from the field. In overtime, that number dipped to 30 percent. Anthony also struggled late in close games, going 1-for-12 on potential game-tying or game-winning baskets in the final 30 seconds. He was 1-for-7 in those scenarios in the previous season.

Field goal pct. per quarter in 2013-14: 
                Carmelo Anthony  Knicks team
1st quarter     47.9             45.6
2nd quarter     49.3             45.7
3rd quarter     45.2             45.5
4th quarter     38.0             43.3

2. Ball movement: Anthony’s reputation as a "ball stopper" is a bit overblown. The Knicks' assist percentage was nearly identical when Carmelo was on the floor compared to when he was off of it last season. One scout who watched Anthony frequently over the past two seasons noted that his ball movement out of double-teams had improved markedly.

But Anthony still operates heavily in isolation. He led the league in isolation scoring last season, averaging 6.6 isolation PPG, according to Synergy Sports. Those isolation sets had an impact on the Knicks' ball movement. New York ended the season ranked 24th in touches per possession and 25th in points created by assists per game -- two signs of an ineffective offense. The Knicks finished the season ranked 24th in points per possession.

But the ball movement should improve in the offense this season thanks to Fisher and the triangle -- and Carmelo may benefit. The 30-year-old has a strong outside shot and is a good improvisational passer -- two skills that are useful in any offense, but particularly in the triangle.

Also, when run successfully, the triangle can weed out some of Anthony's worst habits (contested jump shots, overreliance on dribbling/holding the ball). So this is another area where Fisher can help Anthony.

Holding onto the ball too long before making his move has been my biggest problem with Melo's game since he got here. If they can weed that bad habit out of him, and help him become a better distributor, we should see a more free flowing offense. Would also help if his teammates step up their game as well.

gunsnewing wrote:Acknowledging Melos flaws is a huge step for this organiztion. I am hopeful that they really do get him to buy in and he has his best seasons as a pro the next 5yrs

What I find interesting for all the biching about how bad his teammates were

Look at the shooting percentages

The team stayed relatively consistent from qtr to qrt

Obviously you had some players who had horrific stretches of play

But not all of them simultaneously

Therefore it was imperative to find out who were the best options as the game progressed

Instead we kept dumping the ball to the Supremely In Shape Player of The Month Stud Muffin

Who's shooting percentage from 1-4qrt went somewhere below sea level/////A FATIGUED SHOOTING TORPEDO!!!!

This year maybe we'll see the TEAM carry a balanced attack

And maybe just maybe SKINNY will find his clutch gene if needed

gunsnewing wrote:Acknowledging Melos flaws is a huge step for this organiztion. I am hopeful that they really do get him to buy in and he has his best seasons as a pro the next 5yrs

fishmike wrote:

djsunyc wrote:this thread shouldn't be confused with fish's "burning p's" that he experiences from time to time.

imho, everyone will play good soldier but in the final few mins of a game, expect iso-melo.

thank god for penicillin. One pill and your back in action!

You were the one who posted Felton's Wins and Losses shooting %s correct

Got any explanation of the disparity of shooting from Melo qrt to qrt

Obviously he's not the sole reason we had a poor year last year

Although, did this article clear some of the cataract from your eyes

nixluva wrote:I think those who expect that we'll always revert to ISO Melo will be in shock at the change. If you look at how Phil's teams ran late game offense they still ran plays that called for off ball motion even if Jordan or Kobe took the last shot. It's what we have been begging for the Knicks to do. You need to have some kind of alternate options to force the defense to have to react to other threats. That will make things easier for Melo in late game situations. Deliberate ISO without any kind of deception will often make it harder for him.

This team has enough scoring talent that if you force a defense to have to guard the entire floor that will allow our scorers many good opportunities. It's a more inclusive and versatile style of play than we saw in the 54 win season. We still have the ability to shoot the 3 and spread teams out, but the floor is more balanced and our bigs still have a role in this offense. That's what woody struggled with. It took a long time to get everyone involved and that didn't happen til late in the season. This offense will really stress defenses and make them expend a lot of energy. That should have a cumulative effect on opponents. It got easy for defenses to clog the paint on the PnR and force Melo into contested shots. Things were often too predictable.

Melo can get into his Olympic style of play now. It wasn't just that he was playing with a lot of top players. It's more about his approach to the game. Melo was going quick and wasn't looking to always hold the ball. He was passing too. It's funny how Melo resisted MDA during the season but fully bought into his offense in the Olympics. This is why I was bashing Melo s much during that time, cuz it was painfully obvious that he wasn't buying into what MDA was asking him to do. If he really bought in he would've flourished. He proved that with his change in the Olympics. It's not even like Melo was learning MDA's offense for the 1st time with the Knicks. He's been knowing MDA and his system for years.

Even Anthony acknowledged that things between the two could have been weird. He and D’Antoni hadn’t spoken since the resignation until U.S. basketball convened for camp in Las Vegas earlier this month. That’s when they found themselves in a situation that forced them to break the ice.
“I was on the elevator and he was coming onto the elevator,” Anthony told the New York Post. “We didn’t have much of a conversation. Then we walked to the meeting, then talked about it. It could have been an awkward moment, but it never was.”

Carmelo also added that playing under D’Antoni, who was also an assistant on the 2008 Redeem Team in Beijing, has gone on without a hitch.
“It’s been good,” he said. “He’s been Mike. His system is what we run here. It works best for us. We’ve been running the system four, five years now. He controls the offense, Nate [McMillan] controls the defense. [Jim] Boeheim controls the zone. He gets no love because we ain’t running no zone.”

So, everything seems to be all hunky dory between Melo and D’Antoni in London, just like Melo said it would be. It’s almost kind of like how married couples on the rocks go on vacation to settle their differences.

I wonder what his shooting percentages were from qrt to qrt then?

With D'antoni that is

Melo is sold as a scoring machine.

Unfortunately you don't win games in the first qrt

Bonn1997 wrote:No more contested mid-range jumpshots with a lot of time left on the clock. That's pretty much the only thing I'd want him to try to change. He's very effective in the paint and from 3 point range. If he can be a better distributor, great but that doesn't really seem to be part of his game.

Yeah I hate that move- stop, pretend no other team mate exists (all teammates then suddenly freeze where they are and make no attempt to move or cut to free themselves for a shot because they know whats coming) hold onto the ball for several seconds, swing his arms left and right and then launch a mid range shot that you know isn't going in. Amar'e also seems to have picked up this move.

F500ONE wrote:

fishmike wrote:

djsunyc wrote:this thread shouldn't be confused with fish's "burning p's" that he experiences from time to time.

imho, everyone will play good soldier but in the final few mins of a game, expect iso-melo.

thank god for penicillin. One pill and your back in action!

You were the one who posted Felton's Wins and Losses shooting %s correct

Got any explanation of the disparity of shooting from Melo qrt to qrt

Obviously he's not the sole reason we had a poor year last year

Although, did this article clear some of the cataract from your eyes

Im assuming in your eyes the only reason that the 2013 Knicks are the only losing team Melo has ever played on is because of Melo?

Rather than bait me why not just add something of your own? Why do you think Melo's production tailed off late in games? Could it be he led the league in minutes? Could it be he was most guarded player away from the ball in the league? Did you watch any Knick games last year? Do you need me to explain things to you? Feel free to add your own thoughts... your allowed to do that.