N.Y. Knicks: Set Your Clocks According To Melo Time

From the desk of: DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NBA worst 10-43 (.189)

New York Knicks: With the All-Star game out of the way, and Amare gone, Carmelo declared no mas.

Dutch pants can't jump, and apparently neither can Carmelo Anthony.

Blame James Dolan...

I do.

He took away Donnie Walsh's proverbial corner office with a view, stripped Mike D'Antoni of his key to the executive bathroom, and handed them both to Carmelo Anthony with haste.

Remember?  In an effort to secure Melo before the Nets did, Dolan stomped all over them like Godzilla through Tokyo.

Once in the fold, Melo has been calling the shots ever since.  He won a scoring title, and also led the Knicks to their worst start in history (of which, the debacle continues).

He certainly didn't want to be coached by D'Antoni, and wound up throwing Mike Woodson under a bus.  He didn't want to play with Jeremy Lin or Tyson Chandler, and he doesn't seem to care much for Tim Hardaway Jr.  If anything, Coach Fisher and the Triangle offense have become merely the latest inconvenience and hindrance to Melo Ball.

When he first hurt his knee, it was said that by playing he would not hurt it further.  Fine.  It was said to be a matter of Carmelo Anthony's pain threshold.  Okay.

But, but...., BUT, you just can't bide time, play 30-minutes in the All-Star Game, which just happened to be played at MSG this year, then decide the pain is too much to continue.

C'mon man!

He knew he would inevitably need surgery (and not a minor procedure at that).  Waiting till after the all-star game was flat-out selfish (IMO), if for no other reason that his recovery may potentially interfere with his ability to participate in the next preseason.

Phil Jackson said the surgery entailed a near 6-month recovery - key word being recovery.  His conditioning is likely to be compromised heading into September and October.

The Knicks were already in the midst of a historically bad season, with Melo in the line-up.  That tells me there was a potential lack of communication, urgency, or willingness to address a lingering situation, on everyone's part.

Here's a lesson learned on the Knicks first time executive: sometimes you have to communicate with players in their language.  It seems with many players, all they understand are money and minutes.  In lieu of a clear plan, Phil Jackson should have initiated a proactive approach by having Coach Fisher curtail his minutes.  In saying Melo dictated the timing of the surgery, Phil Jackson really meant to say that he fell in line like everyone else not named Dolan.

That said, I don't think Phil's Jedi mind tricks are going to work with Anthony.  Melo is focused on Melo - always has been.  Phil's "loser mentality" speech seemingly fell on deaf ears.  This could eventually become a battle of the force (70-yr. old) Phil of the Future might lose.

That's just the way I see it.



Mike