One thing that the Knicks are missing? Veteran leadership
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Carmelo Anthony is laughing off those analysts and fans who are predicting another dismal campaign for the Knicks (say, approximately twenty wins). He knows they’ll be better than that, and rightfully so. He’s healthy once again, and
Phil Jackson has finally given the forward the type of support he needs to lead this team in a competitive direction. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
But in turn, Anthony also acknowledged how celebrated (and obviously how successful) the Knicks’ 54-win team was back in 2012-13.
“Regardless of if I average 30 [points] and we win 30-something games, it will still be a down year all the way around. Nobody cares about that. Everybody goes back to the 54-win season when we had a good team and were winning and everybody gets the pub and the shine,” Anthony told the New York Post
(October 20). “We’re going to be alright. I’m not concerned about myself at all.”
Just
how much success New York has this coming season remains to be seen, but there’s one key element they are still missing, especially if they hope to recapture the magic from the 2012-13 season in the near future: veteran leadership.
Back then, the Knicks were able to surround Anthony with the likes of
Jason Kidd,
Rasheed Wallace,
Kurt Thomas, and
Marcus Camby. And while such veterans didn’t necessarily meet expectations on the court, each one’s respective presence in the locker room undoubtedly helped set the tone. Not only did Anthony himself follow their lead and take their respective guidance to heart, but it also allowed him to just play his game and not necessarily be relied upon as that vocal leader a quality team desperately needs.
Fast-forward to the 2015-16 season, and Anthony is still not that guy.
He’s said so himself. He’ll lead in his own way, but isn’t going to be very vocal. The forward has certainly matured, but that won’t change who he is.
[Carmelo’s] not the guy who’s going to stand up in the locker room and give this rah-rah speech and get the team to rally. That’s not who he is,” Anthony’s former Nuggets and Knicks teammate
Chauncey Billups told SNY.tv and TheKnicksBlog.com radio’s Anthony Donahue back in April. “You’ve got to find another guy to make speeches, and another guy to do most of the leading. [Carmelo’s] going to most of the time lead by example. He’s not going to be vocal, he’s not going to rock the boat.”
The only problem is, the Knicks didn’t go out and find that extra veteran to place alongside Anthony to be the guy he himself can lean on in the locker room. The team added
Arron Afflalo, who has looked up to Anthony in the past.
Robin Lopez can be a passionate anchor on the defensive end, but the 27-year-old doesn’t seem like the veteran-type who will take charge.
Anthony is this group’s centerpiece. By default, he’s obviously also someone they’ll all look to for guidance. He needs to sufficiently step up, regardless of whether or not he’s ready or if he’s normally accustomed to doing so. In going younger and somewhat building for the future, New York doesn’t really have anyone else who can fill that role.
It’s Anthony’s time to lead on and off the court. Regardless of how he goes about doing so, he needs to ensure his way results in more wins, and perhaps a potential playoff birth for this team, at the very least.
While Billups may have his doubts, perhaps Jackson and
Derek Fisher are confident Anthony’s own way of leading will be enough, given how this team has been molded (without another real notable veteran) for the coming season.
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