Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire haven’t been a sensation for the New York Knicks up to this point, with the team winning less than half their games when the two are in the starting lineup. Not exactly the recipe to bring the title the most championship starved fan base in the NBA. differently

And it’s not just Stephon Marbury who thinks this isn’t the best of ideas to keep the two together on the same team, both limiting each other. Accusing Dolan of trading for Anthony only to make money isn’t that far fetched, but on the other side of this discussion is the proof of letting Jeremy Lin go to the Houston Rockets, and Lin is probably the biggest money making machine in the NBA, even with a contract that pays him $8 million a year on average. The Lakers financial model for success, which has no regard for the salary cap, when they make a profit anyway.

But when it comes to basketball, and what the two can do together. This team, now that Lin is gone, and addition of the slow and aging Jason Kidd, is Carmelo Anthony’s team. Slow, post up, half court basketball. Not exactly the style that Amere Stoudemire thrived on during his first season with the Knicks, with Raymond Felton running the show. Felton averaged 17.1 points and 9 assists per game until getting traded to the Nuggets, while Stoudemire, who thrived for most of that season, with even some MVP calls heard here and there, averaged 25.3 points per game, his highest since the 2007-2008.

Then Carmelo Anthony arrived, and injuries came, and Jeremy Lin came. Both he and Carmelo were forgotten while Linsanity took over the nation for a couple of weeks. But then both returned, and Anthony’s style was the one that one. No pick n’ rolls, no pick n’ pops. Just Anthony getting the ball in the low post, and everyone running around, feeding on scraps. It didn’t get them any further in the playoffs, and the changed done this season don’t seem like the right kind of improvements this team needs.

Again, a low seed in the postseason, and probably facing a better team in the playoffs. Maybe a second round, but no one actually sees this team as an elite contender in the East. The Miami Heat obviously; the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks are a step behind, but maybe, maybe with the Chicago Bulls simply waiting for Rose to return, the Knicks can overachieve with an inferior, jumbled squad.

Whatever their place in the regular season will be, no sign of improvement in performance and at least one more stage in the postseason might mean the Knicks need to go in a different direction, and trade one of their two best players, and try to carry on building around the other one.

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