Isola: Knicks have little to gain from Carmelo Anthony pain
Dare we say that Carmelo Anthony, awkward gait and pained expression on his face, seemed to replicating the walking motion of his boss, Phil Jackson, late Monday. Maybe a trip to sunny Southern California would do the body good for Anthony as well. Of course, Jackson has a lot of miles and surgeries on his
69-year-old legs and lower back. Carmelo is nearly 40 years younger and in the first year of a $124 million contract. That's why everyone associated with the orange and blue should be feeling some pain this morning.
This is a near worst-case scenario for the Knicks, who enter Wednesday's nationally televised game against the Dallas Mavericks with a 4-11 record and likely without their best player. Anthony is listed as doubtful, and barring a miraculous recovery overnight, the Knicks will be fighting with one arm tied behind their backs.
The proper course of action is to give Anthony the night off and hope he plays Friday against Oklahoma City, itself a wounded team without Kevin Durant. There is, however, a chance that Russell Westbrook may play. Regardless, this is a delicate period for the Knicks, who are in danger of falling into the abyss between Thanksgiving and Christmas with little hope for turnaround.
What's encouraging is that Anthony has avoided a significant injury throughout his career. That's one major advantage of being a guy who doesn't play above the rim. And since it is often difficult to accentuate the positives with the Knicks, here's another one - the fact that Anthony hasn't had much playoff success is a plus in this case.
Anthony has appeared in just 66 postseason games, while two players from his famous draft class, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, have appeared in 158 and 152 playoff games, respectively. That's a full regular season of games more than Anthony. Disappointment, believe it or not, has its advantages.
But here's the downside, because with the Knicks there is always a downside. Anthony is 30 years old and has played 29,000 minutes over 805 games. The wear and tear may finally be showing.
It would be a proverbial punch in the gut if Jackson's rebuilding plan - he does have one, right? - is derailed by Anthony's health. For the short term, the Knicks can survive without Anthony. They may even run the triangle better. More ball and player movement is a good thing.
But Jackson has said in the past that having a player such as Anthony who can bail out an offense late in the shot clock and late in games is invaluable. The Knicks, minus Anthony, don't have that type of player. If Anthony is sidelined either for one game or one week, that won't be a deal breaker. Anything beyond two weeks, and the Knicks, with a rookie head coach in charge, could be in big trouble. Last year's downfall began when Tyson Chandler broke his leg the first week of the season. An injury to Anthony will have the same ripple effect. If nothing else, it gives Derek Fisher a chance to experiment with different lineups and see if he can devise a game plan that could yield positive results. Frank Vogel is doing just that with the Pacers.
On Monday, the Pacers came into Dallas and defeated the Mavs, 111-110, in what may be the most impressive win of the season by any team. The Pacers, already without Paul George, George Hill and David West, had to rule Roy Hibbert out with an ankle injury. Add to that Lance Stephenson leaving over the summer as a free agent and you have Indiana winning a road game without all five of its starters from a year ago.
I ndiana's lineup featured Luis Scola, Solomon Hill, Ian Mahinmi, Donald Sloan and Rodney Stuckey. That's not exactly the 1985-86 Boston Celtics, but they found a way to get a win. The Knicks will be in the same boat on Wednesday.
Fisher should view this as an opportunity. And he should also pray that Anthony returns quickly.
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